West Ham youngster Kaelan Casey included in Guardian Next Gen list
West Ham defender Kaelan Casey has been likened to Declan Rice and is tipped to make a name for himself, according to Jacob Steinberg.
In The Guardian’s Next Generation 2021 list, Casey is viewed as the Hammers’ best player in the age bracket for players born between 1 September 2004 and 31 August 2005.
Casey is a centre-back who’s been at the club’s academy since the age of five and at the age of 16 is already closing in on making his debut for the Under-21s.
Some comparison
It’s not daily that one sees someone in the West Ham academy being compared to Rice, but Casey is certainly impressing those who have been tracking his career.
Rice has been one of the biggest success stories in history for the Hammers academy and if Casey can even come close to matching his feat, it will be considered remarkable.
In the Guardian list, Steinberg has waxed the player’s lyrical and has labelled him as “impressive”.
As a schoolboy, Casey has already made four appearances for the Under-18s and given his career trajectory, we won’t be surprised if he’s named in the matchday squad for one of the Hammers’ cup games.
Given the club’s plans to restructure the academy, players like Casey could thrive from the change in leadership and hopefully, he goes on to become a first-team player for the club.
While we’re not quite expecting another Declan Rice, it is nice to see someone mentioned in the same breath as the England international.
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