West Ham youth coach Paul Hilton is pleased to have seen several of his players doing preseason with the senior squad.

Hilton believes the likes of England Under-17 striker Robert Hall, Republic of Ireland youth international Eoin Wearen and second-year scholar Conor Okus would have learned a great deal from working alongside the club's established internationals.

He told whufc.com: "A few of the lads have been training with the first-team in pre-season and it has given them a little insight into where they need to be and how much work they need to do to reach that level.

"The first-team staff were brilliant with them, allowing them to train with the squad and showing them the levels they need to attain if they are to become members of that squad themselves.

"Hopefully the lads will have taken that all on board and will pass on what they have learned to the younger boys at the Academy. They have been setting the tone in training since their return and that is encouraging."