Reece Oxford has finally made his first competitive start for Borussia Mönchengladbach - nearly six months after he moved to Germany.
The 18-year-old centre half has spent the vast majority of his time in Germany kicking his heels on the bench waiting for an opportunity to shine - but was finally rewarded with his first start last night against Freiburg.And although Mönchengladbach fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat, most observers felt that Oxford had a good game, albeit playing our of position as right wing back.
Welcome to the world of @Reeceoxford_, Caglar Söyüncü! 👊 (17')#fohlenelf #SCFBMG 0-0 pic.twitter.com/VOHQQiwbAW
— Gladbach (@borussia_en) December 12, 2017
Meanwhile there has been fresh speculation regarding the teenager's future, with some sources suggesting West Ham are willing to sell the England youth international. A fee in the region of £6million has been mooted in some quarters.
Even though Oxford has barely featured for the club - his only previous Bundesliga appearance coming as a late substitute against Hoffenheim back in October - Mönchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl insisted that he would be interested in signing him on a permanent basis.
Oxford, one of the most highly-rated youngsters to emerge from West Ham's Academy in recent years has made a total of 14 appearances for United's first team.
* Something to say about this story? Please visit the KUMB Forum to leave a comment.