Former Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy, infamously dubbed ‘the nutter with a putter’ for his exploits with John Arne Riise in a Portuguese training camp, has been ruled out for around four weeks due to a troublesome hamstring injury.
Bellamy being sidelined means that manager Alan Curbishley will either have to dip into the transfer market for a temporary replacement, or promote from within.
Freddie Sears, 18, came to prominence towards the end of last season and hopes that he is given the chance to shine at the beginning of this campaign so that he can stake a claim for a regular role with the Hammers.
Sears is quotes by the Echo as saying: “Bellars being injured will give me more of a chance of a start. That’s a good thing for me, but hopefully Craig will be back soon to strengthen the squad.”
The teenager added: “It was nice to get out on the pitch in the first game of the season and get a little run-out and obviously, for the team, it was great to get the three points. It is good to get off the mark.”
He concluded: “I want to play as many games as I can, score as many goals as I can, and keep doing well for the club.”
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