Odubeko bags hat-trick for Hammers
By Daire Walsh
TALLAGHT’S Ademipo Odubeko came back to haunt former club Manchester United by grabbing a hat-trick for the West Ham United U23s in their Premier League 2 victory over the Red Devils last Friday night.
With his side trailing 2-0 after strikes by Mark Helm and Anthony Elanga, Odubeko clawed the East London men back into contention.
In the 59th-minute of the contest, Odubeko’s low shot from the edge of the box crept into the net. This offered renewed hope to the visiting side and after being picked out by Republic of Ireland U21 international Conor Coventry, he brought them back on level terms with a superb curling effort.
Having found themselves staring down the barrel of a convincing defeat, West Ham looked set to settle for a share of the spoils. This was until Odubeko intervened during injury-time with another sublime finish.
The 18-year-old Odubeko spent three years in the Manchester United Academy before leaving to sign professional terms at West Ham in 2019. He previously enjoyed a single season at Manchester City, while he also lined out in the colours of Crumlin United and St Joseph’s Boys during his formative period in Dublin.
He joined the Hammers in a bid to gain greater exposure to senior football and has made two first-team appearances under David Moyes. He was an 89th-minute replacement for Michail Antonio in an FA Cup third round affair with Stockport on January 11, 2021 and had a longer run-out in their fifth round reversal to Manchester United a month later.
Odubeko also bagged a brace for the West Ham U21s in a 3-1 win over Southend in the Football League Trophy in September.
Of Nigerian descent, he has featured at Under 16 and U17 level for the Republic of Ireland. He earned a call-up from Under 21 boss Jim Crawford for last month’s friendly encounter with Wales, but withdrew from the squad in the days leading up to the game.