Upon the announcement of Young Lions squads for March internationals, out of the 38 teams with players representing England’s youth sides, from U17s through to U21s, West Ham United's Academy ranked third in terms of players selected with nine, trailing only Manchester City (15) and Chelsea (ten).
Indeed, Kaelan Casey, George Earthy and Ollie Scarles were selected to play for the Elite Development Squad (U20s), Lewis Orford and Fin Herrick were involved with the U19s, Emeka Adiele and Airidas Golambeckis were picked by the U18s, and first-year scholars Lanre Awesu and Chinaza Nwosu featured for the U17s.
| Pos | Team | Players |
| 1 | Manchester City | 15 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 10 |
| 3 | West Ham United | 9 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| =5 | Aston Villa | 6 |
| =5 | Southampton | 6 |
| =7 | Arsenal | 5 |
| =7 | Crystal Palace | 5 |
| =7 | Liverpool | 5 |
| =7 | Manchester United | 5 |
As well as the Young Lions representatives, Callum Marshall (Northern Ireland), Krisztián Hegyi (Hungary), Josh Landers (Scotland U19s), and Josh Briggs and Patrick Kelly (Northern Ireland U21s) were also part of a sizeable group of young Hammers representing West Ham United on the international stage.
A consistent trend over the international breaks, West Ham Academy Manager Kenny Brown took a moment to reflect on the youth set-up's recognition following his return from southern Spain monitoring Casey and Scarles with the Elite League Squad. Earthy had withdrawn from Ben Futcher's squad earlier in the international window.
“It’s a brilliant achievement for the players,” Brown said. “There’s also a huge amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. From the moment a boy is scouted, to being with us and representing their country, I know everyone who’s played a part along the way will feel immense pride.
“It’s great for the families as well. The parents are on this journey with them, taking them to training three or four times a week and travelling all over the country from a young age. For them to see their son walk out with the national anthem playing is huge.
“Seeing that we’re so well represented is a brilliant accolade for everybody. I knew we’d be quite high, but that number surprised me. To have that many players consistently shows we’re doing something right here. Of course, we can always improve, but what we’re doing at the moment is good. It shows that players don’t need to move away from this Club to get the recognition they deserve.”
In addition to all those on international duty, a further seven young Hammers were also on standby to represent their nations.
“We had players on standby, so that number could have been even higher,” Brown continued. “It just goes to show the environment everyone creates at Chadwell Heath and Rush Green allows players to fulfil their ambitions and potential.
“It’s a great achievement for the players, but you shouldn’t gauge yourself solely on whether you’re in the international set-up or not. We’ve got some top players who weren’t included. Your day-to-day work, the bulk of your development, happens here at West Ham, and the only way you earn those opportunities is through what you do at your club.”
The depth of talent also extends to the goalkeeping position, with West Ham United’s Academy represented in the England U19s (Herrick) and U17s squads (Awesu), as well as Hungary’s senior squad (Hegyi).
Brown said: “Our goalkeeping department is a real strength. It’s pleasing because it’s sometimes a position that may go under the radar a bit. But not with us. We know the importance of it. Obviously, Fin [Herrick] is well thought of and has been in the England set-up for a number of years now, and now Lanre [Awesu] is coming through as well.
“It’s a great reflection on the work that the goalkeeping department are doing, with Xavi [Valero], Billy [Lepine], Chris Lewington, Josh Strizovic. They're all working immensely hard with our goalkeepers.”
After a two-week fixture break, it’s now back to business for the U21s and U18s as they enter the season’s final straight. With nine games coming up across both age groups over the next three weeks, the U21s will be competing in the Premier League 2 play-offs, while the U18s will have their sights firmly set on their first ever Premier League Cup final.
Brown added: “International recognition is great. But let’s not get carried away with ourselves thinking we can take our foot off the gas. The nature of football is looking forward. Our priority now is to finish the season strong as both age groups have some really big fixtures coming up.
“The hard work continues, no matter what you achieve.”
