West Ham man on course for international call up after making new season vow. It’s strange to think West Ham still haven’t technically announced the signing of Andy Irving.
The Edinburgh-born midfielder joined the club from Austria Klagenfurt last summer for an undisclosed fee but was loaned straight back for the 23/24 season.
He went on to impress last season with nine goals and eight assists to help his side finish sixth in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Such form caught the eye of new Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui, who used Irving extensively during pre-season, especially while the club’s international players enjoyed their extended break following both the Copa America and Euros.
Irving was finally handed his West Ham and Premier League debut last weekend, coming on in the 72nd minute of the Hammers’ 3-0 defeat to Chelsea.
During his first 18 minutes in claret and blue, the 24-year-old went on to make the most touches, play the most passes, win the most tackles and take the most shots than any other West Ham player on the pitch.
It was an impressive debut for the Scot and, according to Edinburgh News, it has already caught the eye of the Scottish Football Association, who are now considering giving him his first senior international call-up.
According to the report, the SFA had already contacted West Ham earlier in September for more information about Irving’s progress since arriving in London earlier in the summer. It’s now believed more minutes in the first-team could lead to a call-up to Scotland for their Nations League fixtures against Croatia and Portugal in October.
All of this comes as Irving admitted that he had opportunities to leave the club in the summer, with Edinburgh News naming Celtic, Atalanta and Espanyol as three interested parties in particular, but he opted to remain in east London and force his way into Lopetegui’s plans.
After making his Hammers debut, the midfielder told the club’s official website: “Since I signed for the club the biggest thing for me was playing in the Premier League for West Ham, so I’m really happy that I’ve been able to do that and my hard work has paid off.
“I had a good pre-season, and my aim is to be in and around it when we got to the end of the transfer window. I had the choice to maybe go somewhere else, but my conversation with Julen Lopetegui and the other coaches were really positive.
“I’ve put in a lot of work, and I wanted to stay and show what I can do.”
He’s certainly done that with such an impressive cameo on his debut, and he will have done his chances of featuring in West Ham’s Carabao Cup clash with Liverpool on Wednesday night no harm at all.
