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Football London
Football London
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Kadeem Simmonds

Who is Oliver Scarles? West Ham teenager profiled as he makes senior debut vs Romania

West Ham United have handed a first-team debut to versatile left-back Oliver Scarles for their Europa Conference League meeting with FCSB in Bucharest.

David Moyes fielded a second string squad for the game, resting a lot of senior players, with Scarles one of two debutants to feature in the starting 11 alongside striker Divin Mubma.

Scarles caught the headlines last month after being named in the squad for both meetings against Anderlecht, but the 16-year-old, who can also play in midfield, was an unused substitue.

READ MORE: David Moyes provides West Ham team selection hint as he eyes European record vs FCSB

Playing against FCSB he became the club's sixth youngest appearance maker ever and will be a new face to many supporters so we outline a profile of him below.

Born in December 2005, the defensive midfielder joined West Ham aged 12 and has made his way through the various age groups.

Able to operate at the base of midfield as well as at central defence, Scarles has also made three appearances for the Under-18 side this season where he has contributed three assists.

Scarles has also made four appearances for England's U-17 side after making his debut in September 2021.

"He will be involved and I do know that Anderlecht have a couple of 16 to 18-year-old players too," Moyes said last month following his first call-up to the squad against Anderlecht.. "So it’s a great thing that young players get opportunities and some of them will play.

"We used a lot last year and we have a new group with the under-23s now, and we’re trying to promote the younger ones even sooner if we think they’re doing well. And Ollie is doing really well."

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