Slaven Bilic: We can’t expect people to ignore Reece Oxford – but West Ham can keep him grounded

Action: 16-year-old Oxford closes down Arsenal's Francis Coquelin
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Slaven Bilic13 August 2015

We are going to have to try and manage the situation regarding Reece Oxford, following his terrific Premier League debut for us.

When I was here as a player I remember Joe Cole as a young lad. Joe was too young to train with us but Harry Redknapp told me even then that Sir Alex Ferguson was asking on a daily basis about Joe.

We can’t expect people to ignore Reece after that display. I am 46 years old but he made an impact on me.

I would think that every West Ham supporter and many neutral football fans would feel the same way — it is human nature.

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It is natural that some people will go over the top with their reaction, even if Reece himself is totally stable. His environment will change, it is impossible to think otherwise.

We can’t stop that completely but we have to control it, monitor it — manage it. On the pitch is easier, it is just me, my staff and him. Outside, though, it will be more of a challenge.

It has happened also to Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and the one player who coped with it the better than anyone — David Beckham. He was a ‘one-off,’ a showbiz personality but someone who was also so hungry to succeed in football.

For others, however, not only their careers have been ruined but in some cases, their lives.

It is easy not to notice, especially when people keep telling you it’s the managers’ fault, the agents’ fault, the media’s fault. This club have been good at dealing with these situations in the past, though, with Cole, Lampard, Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Jermain Defoe — and they all progressed.

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