Michael Forbes looks set to find the regular senior football that never quite arrived for him at West Ham.
The 22-year-old Northern Ireland defender is reportedly poised to join Dundee United after the Hammers confirmed he will leave the club this summer.
This has brough to an end to a spell that was more about development loans than first-team breakthrough.
The72, citing The Courier, reports that Forbes is on course for a switch to the Scottish Premiership side.
West Ham’s own retained list confirmed last week that he will depart, while the Premier League released-list document also names him among the Hammers’ free transfers.
Michael Forbes Move Feels Sensible For West Ham And Dundee United
Forbes joined West Ham in 2020 and carried the profile of a defender worth developing carefully, but the route into the senior side was always narrow.
Centre-back has rarely been an easy lane to break through at this club, especially when managers under pressure naturally lean towards experience.
His most useful exposure came away from east London. Last season’s loan at Northampton Town gave him a proper League One test, with The72 noting that he made 26 appearances in all competitions, scored twice and added one assist.
Forbes also previously spent time on loan at Bristol Rovers and Colchester United, so this is not a player stepping cold into senior football.
The question now is whether Dundee United can offer the thing West Ham could not: a clear pathway and a proper first-team role.
West Ham Academy Decisions Carry A Familiar Edge
There is always a little frustration when an academy player leaves without getting that proper London Stadium moment.
West Ham supporters want to see young players make the jump. That is part of the club’s identity, and it is why every academy exit comes with a small sense of what might have been.
But sentiment cannot be the whole argument.
West Ham are rebuilding after relegation, and the current West Ham squad picture already shows how many difficult calls are being made around age, status and contract value.
There is also a difference between losing a player too soon and letting a player move at the right time.
Forbes needed a club where he is not waiting for a crisis, an injury run or a cup draw to open the door.
Dundee United may give him the chance to build his own rhythm.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s West Ham Rebuild Is Not Only About Arrivals
This summer will naturally be judged by who West Ham bring in, especially with the Championship demanding a different kind of squad.
The club have already made Keiber Lamadrid permanent, while the academy remains part of the wider squad conversation after the professional contract for Lewis Beckford.
But exits matter too.
Relegation forces a club to separate hope from planning, and Forbes’ departure sits in that space.
He is not being framed as a failed prospect here. He is a young defender reaching the point where games matter more than being close to a first-team squad.
For West Ham, the bigger challenge is making sure the players they keep can actually see a route.
For Forbes, the next step may finally be the one that lets him turn promise into weekly responsibility.
That is often where careers really start.
