Former West Ham manager says forgotten midfielder could have been better than Declan Rice.

West Ham as a club are very proud of their academy. It’s produced some of the greatest players this country has ever seen. The likes of Bobby Moore, Frank Lampard, and Rio Ferdinand all came through the Hammers’ ranks.

While perhaps not as consistent, the academy does still produce some world-class players, with Declan Rice being the most recent example.

However, former manager Slaven Bilic claims that midfielder Reece Oxford actually had the potential to be as good, if not better than Rice. “He had great potential and was very similar to Declan Rice who came through one year after,” he told talkSPORT.

“Declan and the people around Declan were more focused and focused only on football and you can see how that developed his career.”

Obviously Oxford got a lot of stick for his mentality but, at that age, you’re a product of your environment. Without injuries, and with a bit more support, perhaps he could have fulfilled his huge potential.