I’ll admit it — I was one of those excited to see what young West Ham United midfielder Mohamadou Kanté could produce against [Burton Albion](https://www.claretandhugh.info/burton-albion-0-1-west-ham-united-the-morning-after/).
After all, the French youngster has been something of a colossus in West Ham’s Under-21 side this season, earning rave reviews while also making his first-team debut and becoming a regular feature on Nuno Espírito Santo’s substitutes’ bench.
So when Saturday’s FA Cup tie came around, it felt like the perfect opportunity for Kanté to show he was ready to step up.
Kante struggled to make any impact despite toiling away
Unfortunately, that’s not quite how it played out.
Now let me be clear: Kanté remains a hugely talented young player, and I fully expect him to have a bright future. But in terms of taking his chance against lower-league opposition, the truth is he didn’t.
And in football, when one player doesn’t seize their moment, someone else usually does.
Orford Grabs the Opportunity
----------------------------
That someone was Lewis Orford.
Kanté started alongside Soungoutou Magassa, and neither really impressed in the first half. After the break, Magassa gradually grew into the game and began to show his qualities.
Kanté, however, struggled to replicate the ball-carrying authority he’s displayed so often at Under-21 level.
Then Orford arrived from the bench — and in his brief spell during extra time, he offered more than Kanté had managed as a starter.
The England Under-18 captain showed maturity well beyond his years. He reads the game intelligently, has a good range of passing, and an excellent awareness of space. It wasn’t a barnstorming cameo — especially for a player who barely featured during his loan spell at Stevenage FC — but there was enough on show to make a point.
Enough to suggest that the next time Nuno looks to promote a midfielder from the youth ranks, it may well be Orford rather than Kanté who gets the nod.
Sometimes opportunities are small.
But Orford took his.