West Ham United’s youth-team sensation Andre Dike scored his 15th goal of 2025/26 against Leicester City on Friday, and his first in Premier League 2.
And the manner of his goal will not have come as much of a surprise to those who have followed the development of the England Under-17 winger with a great deal of interest.
Dike has been in prolific form for the Hammers at Under-18 level. The teenager has already unlocked that Jarrod Bowen party piece; cutting inside onto his left boot and locating one of the corners with a finish of both precision and finesse.
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West Ham's 2023 FA Youth Cup XI
The goal which saw Andre Dike find the net for the first time for West Ham United’s under-21s was not quite as spectacular as some of his others this season. A ball across the box from Regan Clayton, and a tidy reverse finish from the edge of the box.
Yet, if there were any concerns about whether Dike’s outstanding displays for the Under-18s could be translated onto the Under-21 stage, Friday’s eventual 1-1 draw with Leicester City proved that he can make the step up after all.
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Andre Dike hailed by Zavon Hines after opening Premier League 2 account for West Ham United
Zavon Hines, West Ham’s assistant coach at Under-21 level, made the step up himself over the summer.
The former academy graduate has watched Dike’s progress very closely, then, and was delighted to see him tick another item off his footballing bucket list.
West Ham United starlet Andre Dike during England v Malta - Under-17 Championship UEFA Qualifying 2025
Photo by Domenic Aquilina/NurPhoto via Getty Images
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“The idea is always to expose our Under-18s to the demands of the higher age groups,” Hines told the club’s official website.
“Andre has been one of our top players in the Under-18s and we want to give him more opportunities at Under-21s level. It was good for him to start and make an impact by scoring. I thought he was having a decent game before he had to come off with the knock [at half-time].
“Hopefully it won’t keep him out too long because he deserves more opportunities.”
Dike now has 15 goals in all competitions and for all age groups this season.
The Hammers’ Under-21s have failed to win in any of their last four Premier League 2 matches, however, though this can partly be explained by a flurry of absences.
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A graphic asking West Ham United fans to grade Keiber Lamadrid's performance on his West Ham United debut.
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Callum Marshall future uncertain as Mohamadou Kante makes his first Hammers start
George Earthy and Callum Marshall both moved on loan to Bristol City and VFL Bochum respectively and assist king Emeke Adiele joined FC Utrecht in the Netherlands on a permanent deal.
Mohamadou Kante and Keiber Lamadrid were on FA Cup duty, meanwhile. Both made their first starts at senior level in the 1-0 victory at Burton Albion in the fourth round. Lewis Orford also came off the bench in Staffordshire.
Speaking of a certain Northern Ireland international, Marshall did not rule out leaving West Ham on a permanent basis when asked by German publication BILD last week.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” said Marshall, who scored on his Bundesliga.2 debut last month. “When I was 17 [at Linfield], I thought I’d play in Ireland for the rest of my career.
“Two months later, I was at West Ham United. Everything can change so quickly. I get along well with my teammates. We’ll see what happens next.”
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