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 coming in 2017 when he joined Borussia Monchengladbach on loan.
“I spoke with Slaven and I said: ‘Gladbach want me and I want to go’,” says Oxford. “He was a bit angry and he said: ‘I want you to stay here’.
“But I didn’t want to be a fourth option, I wanted to get some minutes.
“I chose to come out here because I wanted to be alone and I wanted to get away from everything.
“The media in England is a bit crazy sometimes. I just thought, I’ll go abroad and focus for a few years.”
After another stint at Gladbach and then a loan with Augsburg, Oxford joined the latter permanently in 2019 and he hasn’t looked back since.
“I am playing every game and it was just about consistency for me,” he says. “Now that I’ve got that, and I’m playing every game, I am starting to show my qualities.
“From November last season I cemented my spot and made it clear I wanted to play centre-back. I haven’t really moved from there and now I’m kicking on.”
The 23-year-old’s form has meant he is dreaming of an England call-up one day, particularly after being a regular for them at youth level.
He has watched fellow West Ham academy graduate Declan Rice, who he still keeps in touch with, shine for the Three Lions and Oxford hopes to one day.
“I would like to hope so, my stats are proving that I could be on the radar,” he says, when asked about the prospect of an England call-up.
“But I don’t know, I’ve not spoken to anyone and no one has spoken to me.
“Hopefully one day I get called up, because that’s the end goal for me.”
