Divine Mukasa did not need another two-goal performance to underline his growing importance to West Ham United.
Four days after scoring twice in the 4-2 victory over Wolves, the 19-year-old produced another mature midfield display as the Hammers beat Derby County 3-0 at London Stadium.
Joël Piroe, Edvin Austbø and Mohamadou Kanté supplied the goals, but Mukasa again looked completely at home in the centre of Nuno Espírito Santo’s team.
After only a handful of Championship appearances back in east London, he is becoming extremely difficult to leave out.
Mukasa gives West Ham control in midfield
The most encouraging aspect of Mukasa’s performance was how little he appeared to rely on individual moments.
Against Wolves, the headlines understandably belonged to his two goals.
Against Derby, his value came through his involvement in West Ham’s possession and his willingness to link midfield with the forward line.
Playing alongside Arne Engels, Mukasa repeatedly looked to move the ball forwards rather than simply retain possession.
One of his best moments arrived shortly before half-time.
Derby’s official match report highlighted a sharp give-and-go between Mukasa and Taty Castellanos which ended with the Argentine sending an effort narrowly wide.
That type of combination is becoming increasingly important to West Ham.
The Hammers have attacking quality in Jarrod Bowen, Manor Solomon and their centre-forwards, but they need midfielders capable of connecting those players.
Mukasa is providing that bridge.
Nuno can no longer treat Mukasa as a prospect
When West Ham brought Mukasa back on loan from Manchester City, there was an obvious temptation to view him primarily as a young player returning home for development.
He had spent a decade in West Ham’s Academy before moving to City in 2023 and returned on a season-long deal after gaining Championship experience with Leicester City.
His impact has accelerated quickly.
We argued after the Wolves victory that Mukasa had handed Nuno a decision he could not ignore.
Saturday strengthened that argument.
Nuno retained him in the starting XI despite having increased options following the end of the transfer window.
Mukasa rewarded that faith with another composed performance.
For supporters wanting to follow the pathway that produced him, our West Ham Academy guide covers the club’s development structure and Academy of Football tradition.
Engels partnership could transform West Ham
The partnership with Engels may be particularly important.
West Ham signed the Belgium international to bring control and quality to midfield.
Mukasa offers something complementary.
He can receive between the lines, combine with attacking players and carry the ball into more dangerous areas.
West Ham’s current squad guide shows how much competition Nuno now has across midfield following a busy summer.
Yet Mukasa is beginning to look less like an option and more like a starter.
The 3-0 victory over Derby gave West Ham consecutive Championship wins and their first clean sheet of the league campaign.
Mukasa did not score this time.
He did not need to.
His growing influence on how West Ham play may ultimately be even more important.
