West Ham manager David Moyes admits that he wanted to keep Harrison Ashby, who joined Newcastle United during the January transfer window.
Ashby could make his maiden appearance for Newcastle when his former club West Ham visit St James' Park on Saturday, with the Scotland under-21 international set to replace the injured Javi Manquillo in the matchday squad.
The 21-year-old completed a £3 million move from the London Stadium on transfer deadline day, and has penned a long-term contract with the Magpies.
He only played once for the Hammers in the Premier League, but featured twice during their UEFA Europa Conference League this term.
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Moyes has conceded that West Ham wanted Ashby to 'stay' but were unable to find a way of preventing his switch to Newcastle.
"I was hoping he would stay but we couldn't get him to stay. We were always going to find it difficult. I like him. We just couldn't get a way of keeping him," Moyes said in his pre-match press conference.
Ashby was previously on the books of Chelsea and joined West Ham at the age of nine in 2010. He signed his first professional contract in the summer of 2020 and made a total of seven senior appearances for the club.
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