Reece Oxford celebrated his 17th birthday on Wednesday in style by securing his first professional contract with West Ham United and now hopes to follow in the footsteps of Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Mark Noble.
Oxford made a dream start to the season when he was handed his Premier League debut in the opening game against Arsenal and quickly showed his potential when he produced a superb display at the Emirates Stadium.
The talented defender played his part in helping Slaven Bilic's side come away with a memorable 2-0 victory and has been a regular member of the first-team squad ever since.
With Oxford now securing his first major contract, the England defender has set his sights on making a breakthrough into the first-team.
Oxford: “I am over the moon to have signed a professional contract. I have been waiting for over a year now to become a pro and I am really happy.
“I always get reminded that I did so well against Arsenal and I have to pinch myself that I did okay against the top players.
“I hope I showed my potential and hopefully I can kick on this season and get some more games for the first-team.
“Sometimes players can fall off a bit when they sign a big deal, but I just want to get better and progress as a player. I want to start in the Premier League and sign longer for the Club.”
It is ironic that the first-team are now training at the Club's Rush Green training ground which is normally used by the Academy and has a big picture of all the former greats to have come through the system including Cole, Carrick, Ferdinand and Noble.
Oxford says it would be a dream for him to see his picture on the wall one day and make a big impact over the next few years.
Oxford added: “I hope I can be on one of those pictures one day. I would love to follow in their footsteps.
“Mark Noble is on my case in training, but for good reasons as he wants me to become a better player. He doesn't want me to become sloppy or take my foot off the pedal. He wants me to keep progressing.”