Premier League side West Ham United have taken former Rangers goalkeeper Brian Kinnear on trial according to the Daily Record, with the 20-year-old previously being linked with a move to Birmingham City.

The Blues are currently in the midst of a goalkeeping crisis with Neil Etheridge being taken to hospital as he continues to be treated for a Covid-19 infection - and manager Lee Bowyer has said he doesn't expect the Philippines international to be ready for the start of the season.

With Andres Prieto coming in last season and becoming Etheridge's understudy, he could have been heavily involved with the West Midlands side in pre-season and they continue to prepare for their Championship opener next month.

However, the club have decided to mutually terminate his contract this week after making just three appearances last season, leaving Zach Jeacock and Connal Trueman as their only senior options at this stage.

20-year-old Kinnear was heavily linked with a move to St Andrew's earlier in the summer and after impressing on trial, was reportedly handed a contract with the Blues in mid-June.

However, this move failed to materialise and as per the Daily Record (16:45), he has now linked up with David Moyes at the London Stadium ahead of a potential move.

The Verdict:

Thankfully for Birmingham, Wolves goalkeeper Matija Sarkic is on trial with a view to a loan deal which makes this latest development matter a little less.

Sarkic is also three years older and could be ready to start every week in the Championship. It remains to be seen whether we could say the same thing about the former Rangers keeper but nonetheless, it will be a blow to lose out on a promising keeper.

20-year-old Zach Jeacock is another talented shot-stopper though and after making two second-tier appearances last year, it might be worth Lee Bowyer promoting him to the bench until Etheridge returns.

This will help to boost the youngster's confidence and allow the Birmingham manager to fill gaps whilst they deal with this crisis.