West Ham United have some of the most exciting young players in the country.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has been speaking to the club’s official website about some of the talented teenagers waiting in the wings.
The Hammers’ academy has produced a number of exciting prospects who could represent the first-team for years to come, with the likes of Reece Oxford and Declan Rice already taking their first steps into the proverbial arena.
“For me, they all have a future,” Bilic told whufc.com. “It’s up to them. They have been training with us and now it’s about time for them to play.
“Josh Cullen had a fantastic season at Bradford. Reece Burke went to Wigan but unfortunately he got injured. Unfortunately Reece Oxford, who is a fantastic talent, it was our aim for him to go on loan in the Championship and he went to Reading but unfortunately he didn’t play enough.”
Oxford burst on to the scene as a 16-year-old, when he started against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium and bossed the game as the Hammers ran out surprise winners.
That looked to be the start of a hugely successful career at West Ham. However he has barely been seen since and his progress was not helped by his lack of starts at the promotion-chasing Royals.
West Ham fans have been calling for the youngsters to get a chance for quite some time and it seems Bilic is about to grant them that wish.
While this summer will be vital in terms of bringing in quality reinforcements at the London Stadium, West Ham could also give the best of their burgeoning crop plenty of game time in the cup competitions.
With Bilic also mentioning Rice and 17-year-old central midfielder Domingos Quina, it will be interesting to see who plays and when after a much needed summer break.
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