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Divine Mukasa has already given West Ham United fans plenty to get excited about since returning to the club this summer. The 19-year-old announced himself properly with two goals in the 4-2 victory over Wolves before producing another assured performance as the Hammers swept Derby County aside four days later. Two goals in his first 243 minutes of Championship football for West Ham is impressive enough. But focusing solely on Mukasa’s goals risks overlooking something potentially far more significant. Because Nuno Espirito Santo’s decision to move the teenager deeper, alongside Arne Engels in central midfield, appears to have changed the way West Ham function altogether. And although the sample size remains small, the early numbers are difficult to ignore. Nuno's Mukasa change has transformed West Ham Divine Mukasa offers more to West Ham than just goals Mukasa started the 1-1 draw at Watford further forward, effectively operating behind the striker while Engels and Mohamadou Kante formed the central midfield partnership. West Ham dominated possession but struggled to turn that control into enough clear chances. Nuno changed it against Wolves, with Mukasa dropping into central midfield alongside Engels as West Ham lined up in a far more adventurous 4-4-2. The result was a 4-2 victory, Mukasa scored twice and Engels provided the assist for his first. Nuno kept exactly the same central midfield combination against Derby and West Ham won again, this time 3-0. Those two performances were very different, too. Wolves had 57% possession and 18 shots at London Stadium, yet West Ham were devastating in transition and generated 2.05xG to their opponents' 0.94. Derby presented the opposite problem. West Ham had to control possession, break down a deeper opponent and prevent counter-attacks. They generated 3.79xG, restricted Derby to just 0.11xG and didn't allow a single shot on target. Mukasa and Engels as a central midfield pair | Wolves | Derby | Total | | Result | 4-2 | 3-0 | 2 wins | | West Ham xG | 2.05 | 3.79 | 5.84 | | Opposition xG | 0.94 | 0.11 | 1.05 | | xG Difference | +1.11 | +3.68 | +4.79 | | West Ham Goals | 4 | 3 | 7 | There is nowhere near enough evidence yet to declare Nuno's midfield problem solved. But the fact it has already worked against two completely different opponents makes it much harder to dismiss as coincidence. Divine Mukasa is offering West Ham much more than goals Mukasa scores his second goal against Wolves The two goals against Wolves understandably changed the conversation around Mukasa. But they perhaps shouldn't be the biggest reason West Ham supporters are excited about him. In four Championship appearances, three of them starts, Mukasa has attempted six shots with three on target. He has also made three tackles and three interceptions while being asked to operate in an unfamiliar deeper role. FotMob's early statistical profile is particularly interesting. Compared with other attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship, Mukasa currently ranks in the 98th percentile for touches, 94th percentile for shot attempts and 97th percentile for chances created. The goals may actually be the least sustainable part of his start to life at London Stadium. Mukasa has scored twice from a relatively small number of opportunities, so nobody should expect him to continue scoring at anything close to his current rate. But his creative output is different. When West Ham signed him on loan from Manchester City, the club's own Analytics United analysis highlighted how Mukasa had created 1.96 chances per game during his spell with Leicester last season, the second-highest rate in the Championship at the time. So West Ham aren't suddenly seeing a creative midfielder emerge because of two good games. That ability was already there. What Nuno may have discovered is a way of using it from deeper positions without sacrificing the defensive balance his system demands, which is where Engels becomes so important. D. Mukasa England • Age 19 • Midfielder Engels and Mukasa might be exactly what Nuno needs Engels has created 14 chances in four Championship appearances Engels hasn't attracted the same attention because he hasn't scored yet, and his underlying numbers suggest he probably should. The Belgian has created 14 chances in four Championship appearances, second only to Jarrod Bowen's 16 for West Ham and the second-highest total in the entire division. More impressively, Engels is creating 3.5 chances per 90, which is higher than Bowen's 3.2. He has also completed 90.2% of his passes, registered 1.27 expected assists, made 20 recoveries and recorded five tackles and five interceptions. FotMob currently ranks his chance creation in the 98th percentile among Championship midfielders. A. Engels Belgium • Age 23 • Midfielder Engels wants the ball, wants to dictate play, progress possession and create from deeper areas. Mukasa gives him someone alongside him capable of doing something completely different. The teenager can receive between lines, carry the ball, combine with the forwards and make runs beyond them. He brings unpredictability to a midfield that otherwise risks becoming too safe. Yet because he has also shown the energy and discipline to contribute without possession, Nuno hasn't had to sacrifice the basic structure of his team to accommodate him. That could prove hugely significant. Playing 4-4-2 places enormous responsibility on the two central midfielders. If they're too defensive, the front players become isolated; too adventurous, and West Ham leave huge spaces for opponents to attack. Engels and Mukasa potentially give Nuno a bit of both. Engels provides the rhythm and creativity from deeper areas, while Mukasa gives West Ham movement, ball-carrying ability and another player capable of arriving around the penalty area. It also allows Nuno to field Bowen and Manor Solomon out wide while retaining two genuine centre-forwards ahead of them. On paper, that should leave West Ham exposed but against Derby, it produced 3.79 xG at one end and 0.11 at the other. Two games is two games. Championship opponents will adapt, tougher tests will come and Mukasa himself is still only 19. But Nuno has spent the opening weeks of the season searching for a way to make this West Ham squad look like more than the sum of its parts. The last two games suggest he may have just found it. Mukasa's two goals have announced his return to West Ham but his partnership with Engels could end up being far more important. What do you think? Has Nuno's midfield tweak been a game-changer for West Ham? Are we seeing a solid midfield partnership develop with Engels and Mukasa? Have your say in the comments below...