West Ham United might be underperforming right now but the club has made significant progress under David Moyes' tutelage, with the Scottish manager securing a three-peat of continental qualification and winning the Europa Conference League last summer.
He is out of contract at the end of the season and the recent rut has sparked fresh concerns regarding his future, but what a story.
The one-time Everton boss had many successes, but perhaps the greatest is overseeing the rise and rise of Declan Rice, whose journey from the academy to first-team stardom coincides with the Irons' ascendancy.
Sold to Arsenal for £105m back in July, Rice is one of Europe's superlative midfielders and for West Ham to welcome a new talent of similar quality would be a triumph.
It's early days, but there might just be a rising star within the club's grasp fit for such a tag.
Sean Moore's statistics at youth level
The player in question, Sean Moore, has been enjoying success at youth level after signing from NIFL Premiership side Cliftonville back in the summer – a player of Irish roots, like Rice.
The 18-year-old is a "dynamic, pacey winger" – according to Academy Manager Kenny Brown – and has found a home in the Hammers development squad straight away, bypassing U18 football.
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Featuring off the bench across his opening six appearances, Moore has since started five fixtures in succession and boasts a healthy return of two goals and two assists apiece, having played across a range of roles – both wide flanks, up front and in an attacking midfield position.
This follows on from some splendid early work in the Northern Ireland top-flight, having scored five goals and provided three assists from just 16 starting displays across the 2022/23 campaign.
Perhaps the Republic of Ireland U19 international isn't ready for the senior set-up, but if he continues to build on some exciting early displays then there is no reason why he can't emulate Rice and rise to a prominent position in the squad, with all the ingredients of a Premier League-level star.
What has been said about Sean Moore
Moore admitted that the initial move to England was "tough", but that he has since found his feet in east London and this is indeed reflected in his football.
Fleet-footed, direct and endowed with a fierce strike, Moore has received some high praise indeed, with former Cliftonville chairman Jim Boyce remarking that he plays like "a young George Best", such is the calibre of his flowering skill set.
Best, a Northern Irish winger, was considered one of the greatest players in the world way back when and his legacy still holds and then some, the 1968 Ballon d'Or recipient posting 157 goals and ten assists across 416 matches for Manchester United.
Sir Bobby Charlton once remarked that it was "paradise watching George [Best] play football", with his transcendent dribbling ability and magic-sprinkling moments capturing the awe of a generation.
Moore, clearly, has much work to do before such comparisons could hold weight, but it does speak of his raw ability and there is a real sense that West Ham might have a true world-beater on their hands, he just needs to mesh the cogs together and ply his trade with unflagging commitment and determination.
Should he succeed in such an endeavour, West Ham might find that they already have Jarrod Bowen's perfect successor at London Stadium, with Moore's inswinging ability and innate eye for goal something that would work well in assuming Bowens' duties.
The England international completed a £22m transfer to West Ham from Championship outfit Hull City back on January deadline day in 2020 – just one month after Moyes' re-appointment – after some sparkling success in the second tier.
Since joining, the 27-year-old has gone from strength to strength, clinching 54 goals and 36 assists for the club across 189 matches and scoring the winning goal as his side defeated Fiorentina in the Conference League final last June.
Season
Apps
Goals
Assists
23/24
24
11
2
22/23
38
6
6
21/22
36
12
12
20/21
38
8
5
19/20
13
1
4
This season, Bowen has scored 14 goals across all competitions for Moyes' outfit, and he has emerged as one of English football's standout attacking stars, with a dynamism and positional fluency that mirrors Moore's, albeit far more honed and hardened in its professional standard.
To be honest, Moore does have some way to go before he is deserving of a regular spot in the West Ham first-team but the pointers are promising and should he continue to show improvements over the next year or so, he might just find himself causing something of a stir.
In The Pipeline
Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.
Moore is nothing if he is not determined and given that the Young Irons are currently placed in second-placed in the Premier League 2, he's clearly in the right environment to realise his goals, competing at one of the country's finest academies.
Rice is United's cream of the crop right now, having burst onto the scene, conquered and departed a hero, silverware in the cabinet and a staggering transfer fee to underscore his worth, but give Moore some time, he might just rise to the fore in a few years.
