West Ham youngster Regan Clayton ‘excellent’ says Under 23’s boss Mark Robson
Regan Clayton thoroughly impressed West Ham Under-23s manager Mark Robson during his second-half cameo against Leeds in the Premier League Cup.
The 17-year-old made the step up from the Under-18s and didn’t look out of place in the 5-1 romp, grabbing an assist for the final goal and helping to set up a quarter-final tie against Fulham.
It’s been a successful season all-round for West Ham’s youth teams, the Under-23s sitting just behind Manchester City at the top of Premier League 2 – Division 1 and the Under-18s leading the way in their southern development league.
And Robson has clearly taken note with Clayton’s impressive display likely to encourage further appearances for more of the Iron’s youngsters.
“Regan Clayton came in from the U18s and I thought he did excellent when he came on and added some quality,” Clayton said, as quoted by West Ham’s official website.
“It’s great we get that level from these lads coming into the U23s.”
Bright Future
Judging by Clayton’s first appearance in the more senior set-up he might just be the tip of the iceberg for emerging talents coming from the London Stadium.
West Ham hold a proud history of producing cultured players, with Frank Lampard and Joe Cole just some amongst the most prominent names to have taken their first steps in the game at the club.
Declan Rice is the latest example of a top-class international being nurtured through the academy, and with the club growing on and off the field it seems the perfect time to be coming through as the potential next big youngster.
Of course it is incredibly early days for many of these players including Clayton, but the performances of the youth sides, alongside the first team’s remarkable rise under David Moyes, suggests fans can look forward to success both now and very well in the future too.
In other West Ham news, Alan Brazil has mooted the Irons completing a “shock” swoop to sign a striker who Moyes knows.
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