Martin Samuelsen cuts loan short for early return to West Ham

West Ham United have high hopes for the 19 year old midfielder and are desperately trying to get some mileage into those boots. The issue arose when a few days ago it was reported Samuelsen was unhappy with his play time at Blackburn Rovers. Blackburn agreed to take on the Norwegian prodigy after his very successful spell at Peterborough in 2015. Martin made 20 appearances and scored two goals.

On the international level, Samuelsen found success in the under 21 squad, but was called up soon after to the Norwegian national club. In his first match, he dribbled his way to drawing a foul that would set up the free kick to beat Iceland 3-2. Martin has seemingly found success wherever he has gone, until today.

Photo by Ben Hoskins/Getty Images

After a few months at Blackburn Rovers, Samuelsen has only appeared in four matches, racking up 130 minutes of football.

Martin says him and his family came to the decision to terminate his loan at Blackburn after seeing the bench for five straight matches. Where Samuelsen expects to play in this crowded West Ham side is anyone’s guess, but I suppose he’d rather train with a Premier League side than in the Championship.

So how good is Martin Samuelsen? My instinct tells me a he’s not a Premiere League starter, but more of an ‘off the bench’ midfield specialist. However, he’s shown flashes of brilliance on the ball so who knows how he could develop with time. If he can somehow keep channeling his inner Lionel Messi and break knees like he did here against Sheffield United, he can be something special.