You would struggle to find anyone who has had a better week than West Ham United starlet and Premier League 2 powerhouse Mohamadou Kante.
Though he will have to wait a bit longer for that senior debut – Airidas Golambeckis was in Nuno’s squad for the visit of Burnley but there was no spot for the former Paris FC prospect – first-team involvement seems like only a matter of time.
Nuno gave Kante a chance to impress at Rush Green alongside Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and co as West Ham United stepped up their pre-match preparations.
The 20-year-old Frenchman was spotted being put through his paces alongside the aforementioned Golambeckis, as well as teenage centre-back Ezra Mayers and highly-rated goalkeeper Finlay Herrick.
And after an already positive week took another turn for the better – Mohamadou Kante thundered a wicked shot into the Liverpool net on Friday night as Greg Lincoln’s Under-21s wrapped up an impressive 3-0 win – he reflected on what has been a ‘dream start’ to life this side of the Channel.
Mohamadou Kante during Milton Keynes Dons v West Ham United U21 - Vertu Trophy
Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images
Mohamadou Kante loved training with West Ham United’s first-team
Kante now has six goal contributions in 11 appearances for West Ham’s reserves.
Comparisons were drawn with Arsenal icon Patrick Vieira by former Under-21 boss Mark Robson back in August. His left-footed blockbuster against Liverpool was certainly reminiscent of some of Vieira’s finest efforts.
“Yes, frankly, you could say it’s been a dream start,” Kante tells the club’s official website while immediately justifying West Ham’s decision to extend his contract until 2031.
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“I’m very happy to have scored four goals [in Premier League 2], and I hope to continue. I’m very happy to have extended my contract and scored my fourth goal. I hope it continues and that I score many more goals and have a much greater influence on the game.
“I hope so.
“With the pros, it’s a different environment. It’s a higher level. There are some very high-calibre players, so I’ll have to raise my game. I’ve only just discovered some of the players, so I think it will take a little time to adapt.
“But in any case, I’m very happy, and I hope it will continue and that I’ll get stronger as quickly as possible.”
Greg Lincoln was blown away by Kante’s Liverpool screamer
Lincoln said Kante’s scorcher ‘would have lit up any stadium’, be it Rush Green or the cavernous home of West Ham’s senior squad. If this is what his supposedly ‘weaker’ left boot can do…
“Honestly, on the shot, there is no explanation for it,” Kante adds with a laugh. “I controlled the ball, and I was determined to hit the goal. Then it went in like that. It was a great goal.”
On the first-team training pitch, Nuno implored Kante to seize the chance to have a closer look at the likes of Mateus Fernandes, Lucas Paqueta and Freddie Potts, feeling that the youngster can only benefit by learning first-hand from those who have already made the grade.
With James Ward-Prowse, Andy Irving and Guido Rodriguez likely to be available for transfer, and Tomas Soucek getting no younger, 2026 feels like a potential breakout year for Kante.
Academy Manager Kenny Brown thinks West Ham have a typical ‘modern Premier League midfielder’ waiting in the wings. And, for all the criticism that has come his way as the recruitment drive of 2023 continues to haunt the Hammers, former technical director Tim Steidten seems to have struck gold when it comes to the £500,000 acquisition from Paris FC.
Callum Marshall and Josh Ajala also scored in latest Premier League 2 win
While Kante has traits of a young Vieira, Callum Marshall justified those pre-season Jamie Vardy comparisons when he tackled the ball into the Liverpool net on Friday. Josh Ajala’s flick and finish would have been the abiding memory from a dominant performance, meanwhile, if not for his teammate’s piledriver.
“I think we played really well as a team,” Kante says. “We all stuck together, even when things weren’t going so well and when they were playing a bit better. It was a real team effort, a top performance from the whole team.
“I think it’s a benchmark performance in terms of attack. We played a very good match, and I think we were all happy together after the match.”
After starting the season with successive defeats, West Ham have now won four and drawn three of their last seven Premier League 2 fixtures. Lincoln’s team are also in the hat for the EFL Trophy knockout stages after beating the senior teams of both MK Dons and Swindon Town.