And, of course, a potential seat on the plane for the 2026 World Cup should Northern Ireland bloody Italy\u2019s nose in March.<\/p>\n
2.Bundesliga outfit Bochum fought off much competition<\/a> to secure the services of a striker who scored ten times in his most recent loan stint, with Huddersfield Town in England\u2019s third tier. <\/p>\n Which youngster would you most like to see START vs QPR in the FA Cup? <\/p>\n A chance for an up-and-coming keeper? A full debut for Kante, perhaps?<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc47 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say <\/p>\n His task, now, will be to fire Bochum out of mid-table mediocrity and up towards the promotion spots.<\/p>\n And confidence is high in North Rhine-Westphalia that Callum Marshall<\/a> \u2013 who would surely have played a part in Saturday\u2019s FA Cup meeting with QPR had he stayed put \u2013 has the tools to do just that.<\/p>\n West Ham United loanee Callum Marshall makes a fine first impression at VFL Bochum<\/p>\n Kevin Keen, West Ham\u2019s lead professional development phase coach, told The Standard<\/a> shortly after that Emirates cameo that there are shades of a young Harry Kane in Marshall<\/a>.<\/p>\n The way he rattled finish after finish into the back of the net during his first training session with his new Bochum teammates, meanwhile, certainly has boss Uwe Rosler looking towards the second half of the campaign with a great deal of optimism.<\/p>\n \u201cHe can play as a number nine but also as part of a two-striker formation or on the wing,\u201d Rosler, the Manchester City icon who coached Leeds and Brentford in the 2010s, told WAZ<\/a> on Thursday. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s very strong in pressing, which will help us.\u201d<\/p>\n That work rate did not go unnoticed during an impressive pre-season. Some West Ham fans drew comparisons with Jamie Vardy<\/a>, after all. <\/p>\n Marshall scored a stunning goal against Grasshopper Zurich over the summer, and has gone on to net a further six in eight games for the Hammers\u2019 Under-21s.<\/p>\n \u201cHe established himself at Huddersfield in League One. The top of the English third division is comparable to the second division in Germany,\u201d Rosler adds, speaking from experience. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a different type of player than [our existing forwards]. With Callum Marshall, we have more flexibility in attack. The first impression is very good.\u201d<\/p>\n Former Huddersfield and West Brom loanee demonstrates \u2018exceptional quality\u2019<\/p>\n You can say that again.<\/p>\n In fact, to quote WAZ, Marshall looked like a young man with \u2018exceptional quality\u2019 as he took to the training pitch for the very first time. As you would expect given that he arrives having averaged a goal every 114 minutes for West Ham\u2019s reserve team, the Glengormley-born 21-year-old strikes the ball with \u2018power and precision\u2019 on that \u2018powerful left foot\u2019.<\/p>\n How do you think West Ham could actually BENEFIT long-term from relegation? <\/p>\n Would it really be a disaster? Or a chance for a new beginning?<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc47 Join the debate; share your insight. Use the comment button on the bottom left to have your say <\/p>\n![\"Callum](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2226561495-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Rich Graessle\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Jarrod](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/HN-2-819x1024.jpg\")
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