A 16-year-old made his debut against Arsenal today

The young West Ham midfielder featured alongside Mark Noble and Cheik Kouyate at the Emirates.

16-YEAR-OLD starlet Reece Oxford was a shock inclusion in the side, as West Ham opened their Premier League campaign against Arsenal today.

The highly-rated youngster featured in a three-man midfield at the Emirates, alongside Mark Noble and Cheik Kouyate.

Oxford, who is being widely touted as a future England international, is already the youngest ever West Ham player, after making his competitive debut in the Europa League against FC Lusitans.

Moreover, he impressed in the Hammers’ 2-0 victory, showing considerable composure to complete 95% of his passes.

For a player as young as 16 to feature in the Premier League is incredibly rare, though there have been other examples from down through the years, including Wayne Rooney and James Milner.

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Paul Fennessy

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