Ollie Scarles will become West Ham United’s sixth youngest debutant after being named in the starting XI for our UEFA Europa Conference League Group B fixture at FCSB.
Having been involved in two European matchday squads this season – home and away against RSC Anderlecht – versatile midfielder Scarles, who joined the Club as a 12-year-old, will make his debut at 16 years and 326 days.
Scarles is joined by fellow Academy player Divin Mubama, who is also in for his full West Ham United debut.
From Newham, the 18-year-old striker has featured in nine U21s matches so far this campaign and initially joined the Hammers as a left-back at eight years old, before making to switch to play as a striker at U12s level.
Looking to become the first side to take 18 points from their six UECL group-stage games, the Academy of Football graduates will be joined by a host of experienced figures in the starting XI - including skipper for the night Angelo Ogbonna, Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals, who is set to make appearance number 150 for West Ham United.
The Spaniard, who moved to east London from Villarreal in July 2019, will make his 20th European appearance for the Irons – no Hammer has made more than the No8.
Seeking an eighth straight win in European football this season, Conor Coventry and Flynn Downes also make David Moyes’ eleven, while Alphonse Areola, who replaced Łukasz Fabiański at half-time at Old Trafford on Sunday, keeps his place as the European goalkeeper.
Defenders Ben Johnson, Nayef Aguerd and Vladimír Coufal are also included in a much-changed starting XI, where Downes, who makes his seventh start for West Ham, is the only player to have begun the Premier League match at Manchester United who is part of the matchday squad in Romania.
Alongside Darren Randolph, a youthful-looking substitutes’ bench also seats more Academy of Football talent - including goalkeeper Krisztián Hegyi, defenders Regan Clayton, Michael Forbes and Kaelan Casey as well as midfielders Freddie Potts, Keenan Appiah-Forson, Lewis Orford and Kamarai Swyer.
Potts and Appiah-Forson made their debuts at London Stadium in the UEFA Europa League against Dinamo Zagreb last December, although Hegyi, Clayton, Forbes, Casey, Orford and Swyer will make their first team debuts should they feature in Romania.
Should Orford make an appearance from the bench, he would become the fourth youngest debutant in the Club’s history at 16 years and 258 days.
FCSB: Târnovan, Pantea, Dawa, Bouhenna, Radunović, Edjouma, Dulca, Oaidã, Cordea (c), Compagno, Popescu
Subs: Vlad, Cretu, Coman, Stoica, D'imiter, Boboc, Olaru, Radaslavescu, Rusu
West Ham United: Areola, Coufal, Johnson, Aguerd, Ogbonna (c), Scarles, Lanzini, Coventry, Downes, Fornals, Mubama
Subs: Randolph, Hegyi, Ashby, Casey, Clayton, Forbes, Swyer, Orford, Potts, Appiah-Forson
Referee: Sascha Stegemann (GER)
