Sam Allardyce: 'Younger players must step up'

Sam Allardyce has said that the younger players in West Ham United's squad must step up over the coming games.

The Hammers are without several of their first-team players through injury, and will play their seventh game in the space of a month when they face Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup this weekend.

The manager told reporters: "At the moment, my senior squad comprises about 14 fit players, so that's why all the under-21s will be promoted up into the squad of 25 to face these next group of fixtures.

"The younger professionals will be tested. They were all tested in the summer when we took them away [on pre-season] and we've got to make the squad up with at least seven or eight Under-21 players, who will get the opportunity to play against Nottingham Forest and show us what I can do. We'll ask them 'Are you good enough to play for West Ham?'.

"Everyone says 'When are you going to start playing your youngsters?' so we're going to start playing them. If we don't win, they'll say 'He's undermining the FA Cup', so here I am in a no-win situation.

West Ham's under-21 side is currently second behind Fulham in their league table.