West Ham United have handed Academy product Marcus Browne his first professional contract with the club.

The 17-year-old midfielder has been with the Hammers since the age of eight and has made regular appearances for the Under-21s this season, scoring his first goal in a 4-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

He told the club's website: “This is just the start; I want to get more contracts in the future and continue to improve.”

The youngest suffered a hamstring injury which set him back five months last year but has made a good comeback and hopes that if he continues what he is doing he can move on to bigger things.

And he was fullsome in his praise of Academy manager Terry Westley, adding: “Terry has been a massive influence for me since he’s come in, he’s helps me a lot this season. They’ve helped me get better and better.”

Browne hopes to follow in the footsteps of two other Hammers youngster, Reece Oxford and Josh Cullen, both of whom have featured for Slaven Bilic's first team this season.

“I’ve played with both of them before," he said. "It gives us encouragement that young players can do it, I’ll keep plugging away and hopefully I’ll be at the top soon.”