By Johnny Morton

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Marshall, who came through the youth ranks at Linfield, featured for the Hammers during pre-season and has sat on the bench for Premier League fixtures against Chelsea and Wolves in recent weeks. The 20-year-old picked up another two senior international caps earlier this month, playing his part in 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Luxembourg and Germany, and is hoping to catch the attention of West Ham boss Graham Potter. Marshall enjoyed a successful loan spell in League One last season, scoring nine goals for Huddersfield Town, and was kept at the London Stadium this term to challenge for a senior spot. In search of further minutes, Marshall was included in the club’s U21 side for Tuesday’s EFL Cup showdown with League Two outfit MK Dons and proceeded to show his class with a second half brace. He netted again on Friday evening and also set up his team’s third, providing an assist for Elisha Sowunmi. Given Marshall’s experience on the international stage, West Ham U21 chief Mark Robson believes having him involved provides a source of inspiration for the club’s young players. “Having George [Earthy] and Callum with us has been fantastic, and it gives all the younger ones a bit of inspiration and shows them where they should be as well,” he told the club’s website. “It’s great to have them because they rub off on everybody else.” After Tuesday’s emphatic 5-1 triumph against senior opposition, Marshall insisted he has no problem dropping into the U21s, saying: “Even if the U21s staff hadn’t asked me, I would have wanted to play anyway. “I get on really well with the development coaches and I’m never too big to play in these games. If I need minutes and this is the place to do it, then I have no problem with that. I really enjoyed it. Hopefully it shows what I can do.” There was also further Premier League 2 goal joy for a number of other Linfield youth products as Cole Brannigan scored and provided an assist as Aston Villa’s U21s defeated Everton, who had Braiden Graham in their ranks. Graham found the net once again, scoring for a second consecutive match after contributing in Tuesday’s National League Cup defeat to Tamworth.