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West Ham defender Josh Pask has joined Gillingham on a season-long loan.
The 18-year-old recently signed a new three-year deal with the Premier League club and will be looking to further his development at Gillingham.
Gills boss Justin Edinburgh has been looking for an addition to his defensive department since the loss of John Egan to Brentford.
Pask will provide cover for central defensive pair Max Ehmer and Deji Oshilaja but can also play as a holding midfielder.
Edinburgh said: “Josh is a bright, young player who has impressed the staff on the occasions we’ve seen him play.
“With his talent and the league experience he gained at Dagenham last season, he’ll be a valuable signing.”
Edinburgh hinted at resting Oshilaja for the League Cup game at Southend on Tuesday night and Pask could be the man to replace him.
Pask joined the Hammers a decade ago as an eight-year-old, originally as a striker, and signed his first professional deal in November 2014.
The Hammers, under the management of Slaven Bilic, showed how highly they rate him by extending his contract until 2019 just last week.
Last season Pask made six appearances for Dagenham in League 2, with his Football League debut coming in a 1-0 defeat to Hartlepool in October 2015.
Speaking about his move, he said: "I'm looking forward to the season ahead.
“I experienced league football last season and I feel ready to play at a higher level."
He recently described himself as a “technical player who likes to drive forward from defence.”
Talking to the official West Ham website, he said: "I’d like to get more games at Gillingham than I did at Dagenham last season. Hopefully being in the league above, it will be of a better quality too.
"League One is a competitive league. I need to train well and be consistent as that’s what it will take to get in and stay in the team.
“The team are looking very strong, even in my first training session, so I’m looking forward to the first game.
“The manager Justin Edinburgh seems like a top guy as well, and it seems as though he wants to play football, which is great. I’m very excited to get underway.”
What do you make of Gillingham's latest addition? Comment below.
