Considered the best academy prospect since Rio Ferdinand, young defender Reece Oxford made his competitive debut for West Ham last night in the Europa League against FC Lusitans, in the process becoming the club’s youngest ever player at the tender age of 16 years, 198 days. Is Oxford really worth the hype? Here’s our takeaways from his performance last night.
The England U17 captain was thrust into the limelight as Terry Westley took a very youthful squad back to London to take on the Andorran side. Oxford was forced to play in an unfamiliar position the majority of the game in the heart of midfielder alongside Diego Poyet in order to give game-time to the necessary players in other positions.
Composed on the ball, Oxford took his time over possession to pick out the right pass. Showing the awareness to drop in at the back when Tomkins or Burke would carry the ball forward, as well as surging forward when the team are on the attack – Oxford played to the situation, which is good to see.
Not very comfortable carrying the ball whilst in possession, Oxford’s first move would be to offload the ball to a teammate, which was effective, picking out several neat passes into the attacking third.
Having impressed in central midfield, Oxford moved back to his natural place at centre-back as Terry Westley shuffled the pack in the second half. Strong in the air, he dominated the opposition as they continued to lump the ball forward – it looked like a training game for him.
He showed terrific maturity following a rash challenge after a loose touch, with the Lusitans players surrounding the referee trying to get the youngster sent off. Not drawn in to any antics despite the baiting attempts, Oxford kept his cool and took the booking like a seasoned pro.
The stage didn’t prove too big for the young lad. He’s nailed down the basics, showed great versatility and is accomplished with possession. Now it’s time for him to be blooded into the first-team setup with a view to some cup appearances over the next few seasons. At 16, he’s still got an unbelievable amount of development to undergo in the mental side of the game, which does not need to be fast-tracked.
As mentioned above, he captains the country at youth level; he’s got a commanding presence on the pitch with his great size, and was not afraid to let his teammates know what they’re doing wrong, as well as taking advice from the senior pros around him.
You can see where the Rio Ferdinand comparisons are arising from. Both are excellent positionally and read the game exceptionally well. Not afraid to get stuck in and make strong challenges, Oxford has all the key attributes to make it to the very top. Joey O’Brien agrees with the comparisons.
“It’s something he will have to deal with and that isn’t easy for a 16-year-old kid,” said O’Brien about Ferdinand comparisons in the London Evening Standard.
“The Premier League is probably the toughest league in the world and it’s even tougher than 10 years or so ago when those players came through, so it will be harder for him to come through.
“It’s unbelievable, it is top-end stuff doing that at that young age.
“When I was 16 I was still in school back home. It is fantastic for him and the Academy. He was on the bench last year and nothing really phases him.
“That’s the most important thing, especially today with the hype around the game. Sometimes you can get carried away with the whole thing but he just comes in and it doesn’t bother him.
“But he has a lot to do. I have seen many a player play with expectations so high and never quite fulfil it. So many things have to fall your way. Physically he looks great but there is so much luck involved in making it to the top.”
Let’s see how he does in a foreign climate in Andorra next week, as he’s a shoe-in to return in the second leg as well with West Ham set to feature an even more youthful side than the one they trotted out last night.
