Are these FIVE youngsters the future of West Ham?

After George Moncur left for Colchester United on a permanent deal recently, many fans will be wondering when a younger West Ham player will be able to cement a place in West Ham’s first team in the future.

Realistically, West Ham’s academy has failed to produce the likes of a new Defoe, Carrick and Joe Cole in recent years. However, there are still a number of exciting younger prospects that could make an impact on the first team in the near future.

Here’s FIVE who could still make the cut at the Boleyn Ground…

Click on Sam Allardyce to reveal

Reece Burke

He has been in West Ham’s academy since the age of 9 and has recently featured for the first team this season. The 18-year-old is a composed centre back who looks comfortable in possession and is an imposing figure, standing at 6”2.

He has played for England at U18 and U19 level and scored his first goal for the first team this summer, grabbing the winner in a 3-2 victory over Sampdoria at Upton Park. He also impressed on his competitive debut against Sheffield United in the League Cup where he provided the assist for Diafra Sakho’s first goal for West Ham.

Burke still has time on his side and has shown clear signs of promise when opportunities have come his way. Hopefully he can build on this and become a valuable option for West Ham by the time they move into the Olympic Stadium.

Reece Oxford

Another Reece, who also plays in the same position as fellow youngster Reece Burke, is one of the brightest prospects in West Ham’s youth academy at this moment in time.

At just 16-years-old, Oxford is showing an excellent sense of maturity on the ball, with some comparing him to former academy graduate Rio Ferdinand.

The potential stumbling block is avoiding interest from a number of England’s biggest clubs. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are all rumoured to be interested in West Ham’s defensive prodigy.

The Hammers have offered Oxford a professional contract that has a rumoured £100,000 signing on fee, the most expensive offer ever for an academy player at West Ham. Hopefully Oxford will realise that featuring in the Premier League will come a whole lot quicker if he signs for West Ham, rather than the so called ‘elite’ of English football.

Diego Poyet

The son of Sunderland manager Gus is already a renowned name at Upton Park. He joined from Charlton Athletic in West Ham’s very busy summer window for the start of this season. The 19-year-old is very comfortable in possession and boasts an excellent range of passing. He was voted Charlton’s player of the season for the 2013/14 campaign and attracted interest from clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City.

Sam Allardyce has just sent Poyet on loan to Championship club Huddersfield Town for a month. By giving Poyet regular first team football at a decent level, it will allow Poyet to develop his game further. He may also become a valuable midfielder when the African Cup of Nations kicks off in January as West Ham could lose both Alex Song and Cheikou Kouyate.

Dan Potts

It feels like Dan Potts has been on the fringes of the first team for ages. However, at only 20 years of age, he still has the potential to become a regular in West Ham’s first team. He is a competent defender who has good positional awareness and is solid in the tackle.

Hopefully, he can challenge Joey O’Brien this season in terms of covering the very impressive Aaron Cresswell. In terms of maintain his West Ham career, Potts needs to prove himself over the course of this season.

He has only recently signed a two year deal and Sam Allardyce has not been afraid to turn to Potts when he is needed in the first team. Allardyce’s faith in Potts is a good sign due to the fact that the manager rarely looks to younger players when assembling his team.

Ravel Morrison

Ravel is a player who still divides opinion in English football, let alone West Ham. At 21-years-old, the frustrating reality is that Morrison is hindering his development completely, lacking the drive and determination to become one of the best young players in the Premier League. His recent loan to Cardiff City has not gone particularly well and the midfielder may be sent back to West Ham in January.

If someone…anyone can sort out Morrison’s head, he could become one of the best technically gifted players West Ham have ever had. Fans won’t have to look too far back to a number of excellent performances at the beginning of 2013/14 season, including that goal against Spurs.

However, he has been given a lot of chances to knuckle down and eventually, the patience of the manager and the owners will run out and he will become one of English football’s tragedies in terms of wasted talent.