West Ham United youngsters on tour praised by Kurt Zouma

West Ham United’s Kurt Zouma praised the club youngsters who helped secure back-to-back wins on their pre-season tour of Australia.

The Hammers followed their 6-2 win over A-League outfit Perth Glory with a 3-2 victory against Premier League rivals Tottenham, while including eight players aged 21 or under in their inexperienced squad Down Under.

A host of senior players missed the trip due to the June 7 Europa Conference League final finish to the 2022-23 season and subsequent summer international commitments.

But Zouma was impressed with those who stepped in to get more first-team experience, such as Divin Mubama, who netted in both games.

“He deserves it,” Zouma told West Ham TV.

“I feel as though we’ve seen him play a few games for us, he scored in the Conference League and he’s a top player with top quality.

“The young lads put a shift in. This pre-season was good for them, training and playing and getting some minutes. 

“They showed what they are capable of, they deserve it and I hope we can see them more with the first team.”

First-half headers from Danny Ings and Mubama had the Hammers on top against Spurs, who rallied with a brace of their own after the restart.

Lukasz Fabianski, Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna stood tall with numerous saves and blocks to deny Harry Kane, Richarlison, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, among others, before Gianluca Scamacca ran onto a Pablo Fornals pass to slot the winner.

And Zouma admitted it felt like a proper Premier League contest, rather than a summer friendly.

“These friendly games are always tough,” he added.

“We played against a good side, but we got the win and that’s the most important thing, I would say. It was a tough game and good for the legs and good for the fitness and I thought we did good.

“All the time you’re playing big games and I think it was good for the Australian fans to see a proper Premier League game and the fitness is there. We’re still preparing for the season and working on that, but it’s always good to get the win.

“It was a lively game. I have to say we had a lot of defending to do and Łukasz has done a great job again. Defensively we were good tactically, but they had a good few chances to score.

“But we tried to stay strong, keep the shape and in a friendly game you are preparing for the season, so it was good to get the win and we keep building on it.”

A crowd of over 46,000 watched on to the delight of Zouma, who returns to the UK with the rest of the squad ahead of a date with National League side Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday (July 22).

“We have to thank them for the support they showed us,” he said.

“This is where you can see just how big West Ham is worldwide. Everyone is supporting West Ham and they had a chance to watch a Premier League game here and it’s good for them as well and for the kids, it motivates them.

“Now, it’s time to go home, see our families, rest and keep getting prepared. We have many, many games coming up, and they are good for the spectators to watch. This game was quite lively for them and we have to thank them again for their support.”