Harrison Ashby has set his sights on a place in David Moyes’ first-team squad after spending part of the pre-season training and playing alongside his senior West Ham United colleagues.
The 20-year-old travelled to St Andrews and Évian-les-Bains, started the pre-season wins at Servette and Ipswich Town and appeared as a substitute in the draws at Reading and Luton Town.
With Ryan Fredericks departing in the summer, the Hammers are a right-back lighter for the new season, and the Scotland U21 international would love nothing more than to show compatriot Moyes he does not need to delve into the transfer market to bolster that area of his squad.
“It’s a huge privilege that they’ve given me the opportunity to train with them, and it’s even better to start games and play alongside them,” Ashby told whufc.com. “Last year I suffered an injury and worked really hard to try to push back into the first-team squad, which is where I was before.
“I think I’ve done well, and I’m really glad that I’ve been able to push hard to get myself in and around the first team again. I’ve really enjoyed it and lets just see where it goes from here.
“Training and playing with the first team just allows your game to get better and better because you’re around elite players. With them you get stronger, you get fitter and I think that has helped me massively as a player.
“It’s a lot different to U21s football. The speed of play, the level of physicality, the speed of decision making, I think they are the main changes. It’s been a fantastic challenge for me, and I’ll look to take my opportunity when it comes.
“The aim for the next season is to push myself into the first team and battle it out with the right-backs that are currently ahead of me. I want to push myself on, push them on, and have a good battle to win the spot in the team.”
The 2021/22 season was a successful one for Ashby, who started the UEFA Europa League Group H tie with Dinamo Zagreb, made his Premier League debut as a substitute at Arsenal and then featured in the EFL Cup at Tottenham Hotspur in December.
He also starred for the Irons’ development side in Premier League 2 Division 1and the EFL Trophy, scoring three goals and assisting six more, while also performing his defensive duties with aplomb to help his team finish second in the former and wins at Ipswich Town and Gillingham in the latter.
Ashby was back in Mark Robson’s team last Friday, but his presence was unable to stave off a 3-0 defeat by EFL League Two side Stevenage at Rush Green Stadium.
The young Hammers played good football at times, but the full-back admitted they had not managed the game well enough against their more experienced opponents.
“It’s just one of them games that we have to learn from,” Ashby admitted. “We were up against a tough League 2 team, they’re all really fit with their League campaign starting very soon, and they’re all obviously proper men so I think as a team it was tough.
“There were a few players in our side that hadn’t had the experience against this type of opposition, so I think it was a good test for us, but also a reality check. It was a great physical test for everyone, and we all put in the effort, we just didn’t quite have the quality.”
