Called in to train with the **England national side senior squad** whilst not even making it onto West Ham’s bench this season: Clearly Thomas Tuchel sees something that [Graham Potter](https://www.claretandhugh.info/worse-record-than-potter-this-hammers-manager-candidate-is-a-non-starter/) does not.
Indeed, Potter has just dispatched youngster **Lewis Orford** on a season long loan to lowly Stevenage Town in the third tier of English football.
How does that square with the _England manager promoting Orford_ from his under 20 selection, to train with the senior England squad this week, I wonder.
Suddenly training with Hammers captain Jarrod Bowen and former skipper Declan Rice is both an incredible compliment for Lewis Orford and something of an ego bashing for Potter who’d made the decision to send the teenager out to get some experience.
Into the third tier of English football.
Difficult to equate that for the young West Ham talent – who at just nineteen years old has been earmarked by Tuchel for future progress in what is a huge compliment to the young man. Another case of West Ham overlooking their young talent, perhaps? Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all play 16-17and 18 year olds regularly. West Ham still throw them out on loan.
_Hopefully West Ham will take greater care of Orford from now on_, perhaps realising only now the quality of the young talent they’ve just dispatched up the A1 to the furthest corners of Hertfordshire and League One football. If Potter doesn’t rate him, it would seem England’s national coach – who’s seen a few Champions in his career – has earmarked Orford for better things.