West Ham U23 coach says 17-year-old was ‘excellent’ in Leeds thrashing

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West Ham United coach Mark Robson was full of praise for teenager Regan Clayton after he impressed in the 5-1 Premier League Cup thrashing of Leeds on Monday, speaking to the Hammers’ website. 

The future at the London Stadium looks brighter than Phil Brown’s face after a fresh spray tan. 

The likes of Aji Alese, Dan Chesters, Sonny Perkins and Harrison Ashby have been rewarded for their fine performances at youth-team level with a couple of senior outings this term.

And David Moyes would certainly have been impressed by the way West Ham’s next generation took Leeds apart at Rush Green. 

The excellent Armstrong Okoflex scored a brace while Perkins, Chesters and Manny Longelo netted once apiece on the night. But it was Clayton, a 17-year-old stepping up to U23 level, who caught Robson’s eye. 

Hammers hammer Leeds

“Regan Clayton came in from the U18s and I thought he did excellent when he came on and added some quality,” Robson says of a talented left-back who’s played just 39 minutes of football for West Ham’s U23s this term.

“It’s great that we get that level from these lads coming into the U23s.

“I thought there were some really good performances from the lads. And not only did we work hard, but we showed some real signs of quality as well. 

“We’re getting back to where we were in terms of quality, which is really pleasing for me and the coaching staff. I’m just delighted with how the boys approached this game.

“There were a couple of bits in the first half we thought we might be able to do better, but we found it in the final third in the second half, particularly for Manny Longelo’s goal.”

A highly talented crop of claret-and-blue kids are currently second in the Premier League 2 table, behind only reigning champions Manchester City.

Former Arsenal starlet Okoflex has scored for fun since arriving from Celtic while Perkins also has an impressive record in front of goal. Clayton may be a new name to West Ham supporters but we could be hearing a lot more about him in the months and years to come.