The West Ham youngster has had to be patient since arriving in Berkshire.
Reading’s Reece Oxford attempts a tackle on Blackburn’s Sam Gallagher
The absence of Reading teammates Paul McShane and Jordan Obita for Tuesday’s game against Blackburn Rovers presented Reece Oxford with a chance to make his first start for the Royals since his January move from West Ham United.
The 18-year-old burst onto the scene at the start of last season when, fresh out of school, he managed to keep Arsenal’s vast array of attacking talent at bay in a 2-0 win for the Hammers at the Emirates.
Since then, however, Oxford has found himself out of the loop at the London Stadium, and a temporary spell at Reading was supposed to prime him for a first team push back at his parent club next season.
More than two months in and the plan is finally starting to fall into place, with the West Ham talent making a positive impression on his temporary employers during a 73-minute run-out against relegation threatened Blackburn, whose consolation goal came after Oxford had been subbed for Tiago Ilori.
Reading’s Reece Oxford and Blackburn’s Lucas Joao
He was even involved in the build-up to Reading’s first goal, splitting Rovers’ midfield with a perfectly weighted through ball.
This was the reaction on Twitter afterwards:
Can Oxford shine for West Ham United next season?
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