FERGIE NEEDS MORE TIME

West Ham O'Shea hopeful Evan can break into Hammers team

- By MARK McCADDEN

EVAN Ferguson's lack minutes at West Ham is a surprise, admits Ireland assistant boss John O'Shea.

But the 20-year-old forward isn't alone when it comes to key Ireland players struggling for game-time at club level this year.

Ahead of Ireland's Nations League play-off against Bulgaria, the topic of Ferguson's so-far underwhelming switch came up in a top-table with Heimir Hallgrímsson’s number two.

When the Meathman made his temporary move from Brighton, where a long-term injury lay-off saw him slip down the pecking order, it was hoped that his season would ignite.

Instead, with Graham Potter handing him just a couple of minutes last weekend against Everton, his campaign remains stuck in first gear.

His longest run-out to date came on his debut, when he came off the bench at half-time and gave a tantalising glimpse of what Hammers fans might expect in the coming weeks.