West Ham 'target England U21 star' as Moyes' side look for Phillips alternative

West Ham are reportedly eyeing a move for an England youth international as they consider their options for strengthening their midfield in the summer.

Kalvin Phillips arrived at the London Stadium in January, with David Moyes offering the midfielder a lifeline after he found himself on the fringes at Manchester City.

The former Leeds star revealed Moyes had long been an admirer of his, and had attempted to sign him before he joined City in the summer of 2022.

The loan includes an option to buy said to be worth £40m, but the club are now said to be exploring other options following Phillips' decidedly difficult start to life in East London.

According to a report from the The Sun, the Hammers are keeping tabs on Middlesbrough midfielder Hayden Hackney.

The 21-year-old netted for Michael Carrick's side as they defeated Chelsea in the first-leg of their EFL Cup semi-final last month.

Having previously represented Scotland at under-21 level, Hackney has since made five appearances for Lee Carsley's Young Lions registering an assist in a 3-0 over Serbia in November.

Pressure continued to mount on Moyes as his side fell to a 2-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Phillips had yet another evening to forget after being sent off for a second bookable offence in the 71st minute following a high challenge on Morgan Gibbs-White.

The midfielder's sending off came just three minutes after he was initially shown a yellow for a shove on Nicolas Dominguez.

Former Premier League referee Mike Dean was critical of Phillips, claiming the England international 'just doesn't look interested'.

'He's just been cautioned for getting involved with Dominguez for no reason whatsoever. Two minutes, he's just flicked the ball over Gibbs-White and