Reece Oxford interview: Rapid West Ham stardom missed out the ‘little stuff’ as Augsburg offer new platform

Reece Oxford felt like “just a normal boy” at the time, but his Premier League debut for West Ham against Arsenal as a 16-year-old in 2015 catapulted him into the spotlight.

Suddenly, Oxford was the name on everyone’s lips as he inspired the Hammers to a 2-0 victory at Emirates Stadium.

“If [Lionel] Messi was in front of me, I’d be more fazed than Reece,” said West Ham manager Slaven Bilic, as he backed Oxford to handle the pressure.

The journey has not been so simple for Oxford since then, who is now playing out in Germany with Bundesliga side Augsburg.

He has impressed out there, establishing himself as a centre-back and not the midfielder who burst onto the scene against Arsenal.

“All my friends were speaking: ‘He’s playing against Arsenal, in the Premier League when he’s 16’, all of that, but I was just a young kid,” says Oxford.

“I was still going to school at the time. I was just a normal boy playing football, doing something I loved.”

From an early age, Oxford was touted for big things and he was invited to train with the West Ham first team when he was 14.

One year later he was training with them every week, but dropping back down to play with the younger age groups for matches.

It made his development difficult and he missed out on “the little stuff”, like gym work as he was part of the first-team training schedule.

“It was up and down really,” says Oxford. “It was a bit difficult to keep up with everything, but they are bumps in your career and I think I learned from it.

“I think I have benefitted from it in the long run because I learned from it. I know what is right and wrong, and I am happy I learnt it at a young age.”

Germany has been key to Oxford’s progression, with his first taste of the Bundesliga