West Ham’s Manuel Pellegrini is right to put faith in Toni Martinez

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New West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini have spent big this summer already with several impressive additions, though none of them have been for forwards. Now, it seems that the former Manchester City coach could put his faith in young striker Toni Martinez to back-up the front line.

Football.London say that the 21-year-old has impressed his new manager in training and could be set for more regular game time in the first team having been prolific in the youth teams.

In two seasons with the under 23s since joining from Valencia, he has scored 25 goals in 29 games and done enough to earn a shot in the eyes of Pellegrini.

Martinez made the bench for six Premier League games last season but did not make it off the bench, though he did make his first team debut with three FA Cup appearances under David Moyes.

“Toni’s on double figures and he missed probably six weeks of the season. He has come from abroad, has had to settle, has been learning the language. That shows just how well he has done. He’s an out-and-out goalscorer. He puts his foot through the ball and he’s clinical. Toni’s record is frightening at the moment.”

Youth coach Terry Westley on Martinez.

A loan spell in the Spanish second division with Real Valladolid followed, scoring once in 11 games, only two of them starts, as he struggled to earn a spot in a settled team which he helped to claim promotion back to La Liga.

It remains to be seen just what kind of role the likes of Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll will play under Pellegrini, but Martinez being given a more important role could indicate that he is not fully convinced by his existing options.

The 21-year-old is under contract until next summer and knows that this campaign could be a big one if he is to establish himself in the Premier League and this news will come as a major boost for the striker.

Now though, he has to transform his prolific reserve team form into goals at first team level with the challenges that such a test will bring with it.