By Joe Ellis

10th Oct, 2022 | 7:05pm

West Ham United tracking Partick Thistle starlet Aiden McGinlay - report

West Ham United are monitoring the progress of Partick Thistle teenager Aiden McGinlay, according to a report from the Daily Record.

The starlet has been a regular feature of the Jags’ Under-16 side this season and Hammers scouts were in attendance this week as he scored twice against Livingston Under-16s.

West Ham are going to keep tracking McGinlay throughout the next few weeks to get a better understanding of it they want to sign him with plenty of games coming up.

Thistle recently sold Cameron Cooper to Rangers as their academy improves and the Irons have caught wind of the fuss to become interested in McGinlay.

West Ham’s own youth sides have not had the start to the season they were hoping for with the Under-21s struggling having won Premier League 2 last season.

Risk

This is not a signing that anybody at West Ham knows for sure will work, if they go ahead and make an offer for the teenager but that is the gamble clubs have to take these days.

Premier League sides are having to take huge risks on some very young footballers just to try and stop other clubs from snatching them up on the off chance they do become world beaters in the future.

It is a very dangerous precedent that is being set nowadays with clubs almost treating these kids as objects by putting a price on the very best of them and not treating any of them with respect.

There has to be some kind of FA rule that stops the movement of anybody under the age of 16 from club to cub because it is scandalous that kids so young can be traded like this.

It’s not the fault of West Ham, of course, who are just doing what they need to to try and be successful but they can’t be happy about the way they are having to go about their business.

In other West Ham news, this Irons-linked player is set to make his decision over his future after the World Cup in Qatar is completed.