Fifteen-year-old Academy defender Jamal Baptiste – given a big write up on ClaretandHugh by former director Terry Westley – has became the second youngest player to play for West Ham United U23s.
The centre-back completed 90 minutes in the 1-0 win against Valencia ‘B’ and put in a composed performance well in advance of his years in the opening round of the Premier League International Cup.
At 15 years, ten months and one day old Baptiste’s achievement has been bettered only by Jayden Fevrier who was himself just 15 years, six months and 12 days old when he made his own U23s debut at Leicester City last season, breaking Mark Noble’s record, set in 2003.
And afterwards he said at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2019/september/13-september/jamal-baptiste-i-felt-really-privileged-be-out-there-u23s: “I felt really privileged to be out there. Just to get the opportunity and take the opportunity, I thought it went well.
“It was a really good game. Obviously, I was the youngest player on the pitch, I was a bit worried, a bit nervous but it was a great team performance.”
He was partnered by 18-year-old Harrison Ashby and said: “That was the first-time I have played centre-back with Harrison and I thought that we really communicated well, we helped each other, and it was a great performance.
“I was really happy to get the clean sheet; it was one of my targets before the game. I wanted to work hard for the team, and I think that I did that.”
At just 15, the defender is already a regular in the Hammers’ U18 Premier League side and has years of development ahead of him but would relish any further U23 opportunities that come his way.
“One of my targets this season was to get a couple of appearances for the U23s and I’m hoping to be able to do that,” he confirmed. “I just want to keep training with them and playing with them and pushing to get into the team.”
ClaretandHugh says: It’s a tribute to the Hammers scouting network that such prospects as Jamal – who has been at the club since he was nine years old – are emerging as players with a big future. But it’s wise to remember that these are tender development periods for such kids and many temptations surround them in their teenage years. It’s part of the academy’s work to ensure that they are given the best possible care off the pitch along with parents to ensure they remain entirely focused on the job in hand. Jamal, however, has been bubbling under for a long time and is set for a big future. That he can talk so well after such a major performance is an indication that this is a young man who can mature, hopefully, along the same lines as Declan Rice. We are likely to be hearing a great deal more of this young man over the course of the season hopefully.