West Ham’s American Tour is an excellent opportunity for academy stars to prove their worth for the first team. With the likes of Dimitri Payet and Angelo Ogbonna not with the Hammers as they compete in the Euros, more minutes are available for West Ham’s academy.
That being said, the jump from the developmental squad to the first team can be difficult to grasp at first. During Tuesday evening’s 3-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders, ten academy players featured, including Toni Martinez, Marcus Browne, and Martin Samuelsen.
However, according to Diego Poyet, the transition is eased by the experienced players at West Ham, particularly captain Mark Noble.
“There’s obviously a lot of players away. They’ve been in the Copa America or the Euros. There’s experienced first team players like you said that are here. They make it very easy for the young players to feel comfortable, and feel at home. They integrate them into the group really well, in training every day,” Poyet told ReadWestHam after the Sounders match.
“Mark, especially Noble, the captain, he’s brilliant with the youngsters. He came through the ranks here at this club so I think he is brilliant for the young players coming through.”
Noble’s rise to the captain’s armband at West Ham started in 2000, when he joined West Ham’s youth academy. His career progression is one West Ham’s young stars will surely dream of copying.
Noble remains the youngest player to feature in a West Ham’s reserve match, aged 15. At 17, he made his first team debut. The following season, 2005, Noble won the Young Hammer of the Year award, and has been a key part of the West Ham squad since 2007.
