You have to feel a little sorry for Ollie Scarles. Following a couple of excellent performances under Graham Potter last season — including a man of the match display against Arsenal — the academy graduate was dropped from the team and barely seen again.
When the 19-year-old finally got another chance, it came out of position at right-back as West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo continued to over-tinker with his side.
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Successful surgery: Scarles was not helped by playing an unfamiliar role
Scarles Out for 6–8 Weeks
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To make matters worse, during one of the Hammers’ rare forays forward against Leeds United at Elland Road, Scarles suffered an awkward fall and injured his collarbone.
The club have now confirmed that the FA Youth Cup winner has sustained a fracture, ruling him out for six to eight weeks.
Hopefully, when the young defender returns to first-team training at Rush Green, he’ll be used in his more familiar position on the left. In the meantime, Nuno would be wise to rely on one of the club’s established right-backs — Aaron Wan-Bissaka or Kyle Walker-Peters — for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Newcastle United.