West Ham United have named an 18-man squad to head to India this week for the 2023 Premier League Next Generation Cup.
The Hammers are one of three teams from England’s top-flight that will take part in the under-19s competition, with Everton and Wolverhampton Wanderers also sending sides to the tournament in Mumbai.
Split into two groups of four, West Ham will face South African outfit Stellenbosch and Indian sides Bengaluru and ATK Mohun Bagan in their three group matches.
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In Group B, Everton and Wolves will take on each other, as well as home sides RF Young Champs and Sudeva Delhi.
For the competition, the four Indian clubs and South African side Stellenbosch will field under-21s outfits, while West Ham, Wolves and Everton will field under-19 sides.
The winners of each group will face each other in the grand final in Mumbai on Friday, May 26. West Ham’s group games come on Wednesday, May 17 against ATK Mohun Bagan, Saturday, May 20 against Bengaluru and Tuesday, May 23 against Stellenbosch.
Regardless of where West Ham finish in their group, they will play one side from Group B. Whatever position they finish in, they will face the same-placed side from Group B in a play-off match.
Due to the heat, matches will only last 70 minutes, consisting of two 35 minute halves.
West Ham have a good record in this competition. Held on home soil last year, they beat Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur to lift the trophy.
A squad of 18 players has been named for the competition, 16 of which are part of Kevin Keen’s under-18s squad that won the Premier League South and FA Youth Cup titles this season.
The other two players have dropped down from the under-21s but are young enough to play for the under-19s. Midfielder Archie Woods and centre-back Jamal Baptiste have been named in the squad.
It could be an important tournament for Baptiste, whose contract is currently set to expire this summer. He has struggled for minutes for the under-21s this campaign, despite making his senior debut in the Europa League last season.
Earlier this year, first-team manager David Moyes said Baptiste has “not helped himself” after not playing for five months for the club’s academy.
While Baptiste is in the squad, under-18s star striker Divin Mubama is not in the squad, having played 32 minutes in the Premier League defeat to Brentford on Sunday.
Northern Ireland youth internationals Patrick Kelly and Callum Marshall are also not included in the squad.
Given West Ham’s academy success this year, they can feel among the favourites for the competition in India. Everton and Wolves both played in the Under-18s Premier League North, finishing fourth and 11th respectively in the 13-team league.
Full 18-man West Ham Under-19s squad for 2023 Premier League Next Generation Cup :
Goalkeepers: Mason Terry
Defenders: Regan Clayton, Sean Tarima, Billy Bates, Jamal Baptiste, Kaelan Casey, Josh Briggs, Ollie Scarles, Ryan Battrum
Midfielders: Dan Rigge, Liam Jones, Archie Woods, Tyron Akpata, Lewis Orford, George Earthy, Favour Fawunmi
Forwards: Blaise Uwandji, Gideon Kodua
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