West Ham say they are 'protecting' Reece Oxford in Premier League

West Ham teenager Reece Oxford has been kept out of the first team to help nurture his development, the head of the club's medical team has revealed.

The midfielder played in three of the team's opening four Premier League games this season, having made his league debut in August, aged 16 and 236 days in the surprise 2-0 win at Arsenal.

But the player has not featured for the Hammers since August 29 and the club have explained their reasons for keeping the youngster out of the first team.

West Ham's head of medical Stijn Vandenbroucke told the club's website: "Reece Oxford has had some significant development over the last few weeks.

"We have been working with him to prepare him for the demands of the Premier League.

"He is obviously a big talent and it is my responsibility to protect him, along with the responsibility of the manager, who is fully on board with how we are managing Reece."

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