West Ham United academy boss Tony Carr is delighted with the progress this season of teenage midfielder Josh Payne.

"Josh spent most of his schoolboy career at one or two different clubs. He was at Southampton and then Portsmouth and then we took him from Portsmouth when he was 15 and he has come up since then. He played for the youth team last year and went on loan at Cheltenham with Martin Allen for three months and blooded himself at league football at that level," Carr told whufc.com.

"Obviously he has seen the two ends of the spectrum with making his debut against Blackburn in the Premier League and then playing at Cheltenham at Christmas time when they are fighting for survival to stay in the league.

"He spent a lot of his time with the youth team at centre back but he can play in midfield and he does like to get on the ball and make things happen. He's a demanding character of himself and plays with a real passion for the game. I think he will end up playing in midfield at senior level if he can crack it and push on from the opportunity he has got now."