West Ham United allowed Reece Oxford to join Reading on loan in January.
Reading manager Jaap Stam
Royals boss Jaap Stam spoke to reporters during his pre-match press conference, and discussed the gradual progression of January loan signing Reece Oxford, suggesting that the teenager has been surprised at the intensity of the training sessions since his arrival at the Madejski Stadium, as quoted by popular online sports news outlet Football.London.
The 18-year-old made the loan move to Reading from West Ham during the January transfer window, after finding his first-team opportunities severely limited at the London Stadium, but he had to wait until Saturday’s defeat against Preston North-End before he made his first appearance for Stam’s side.
And the Dutchman hinted that Oxford has not been ready for first-team action because it has taken him time to adjust to the intensity of Reading’s training sessions, as quoted by Football.London:
Reece Oxford during training tie West Ham
“Reece Oxford has been surprised at the level of intensity in training at Reading, compared to at West Ham. Young players need to improve. You need to be on top of them and give them good advice, so that’s why training is intense.”
Stam’s words are a sad indictment of the way things are run at West Ham, especially when it is considered that Slaven Bilic himself questioned the intensity of his own players’ during training sessions and on match-days.
And there will be even more scrutiny on the Hammers players now, following the Reading boss’ comments.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
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