West Ham defender makes excellent impression with boss after transfer

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Published on:

12 Aug 2016, 2:04 am

By Tom Blackburn

West Ham defender Josh Pask has already impressed Gillingham boss Justin Edinburgh since arriving on loan this week.

The defender left the Hammers on Monday for a season-long loan and revealed he was delighted to have made the move.

Edinburgh welcomed Pask straight into the first team squad, and he played 90 minutes in their 3-1 EFL Cup win over Southend on Tuesday.

“I thought he looked comfortable, affective, sharp and he played off the front foot," Edinburgh said, via Kent Online.

“He looked like a real confident debut for us. I thought he was excellent.”

Pask arrives at the club to compete for a central defensive role against Max Ehmer and Deji Oshilaja.

“Josh is a bright, young player who has impressed the staff on the occasions we’ve seen him play," Edinburgh said prior to his debut.

“With his talent and the league experience he gained at Dagenham last season, he’ll be a valuable signing.”

Pask has come through the ranks at West Ham after joining the club in 2005 and has even captained the development squad in two of their pre-season fixtures. He was also sent out on loan to Dagenham & Redbridge last season.

The 18-year-old centre-back recently signed a contract extension at the Hammers which keeps him at the club until 2019.

The youngster will be hoping to match the impressive feats of some the club’s previous academy products in the future which include the likes of Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe and Frank Lampard.

Slaven Bilic is certainly keen to embed youngster into his side with 17-year-old Reece Oxford becoming an important part of the first-team squad and Pask appears to be making the most of his time at Gillingham.

In other West Ham news, here is their predicted 4-3-1-2 to face Chelsea.

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