NINETEEN-year-old Hogan Ephraim has signed a new 12-month contract at Upton Park.
The England youth striker spent most of last season on loan at Colchester United but wants break into the West Ham first-team squad and is aiming to impress manager Alan Curbishley in pre-season.
He said: ""I know that I have to hit the ground running as soon as we get back after the summer break. There are some top-class players at West Ham, but I'm confident that I can be in and around the first-team squad.
"The manager hasn't seen me play, but he told me he has taken advice from the people around him. He said they like what they have seen and that he'll have a good look at me in pre-season."
Ephraim's only first-team appearance for the Hammer' was in their 2005 League Cup clash with Sheffield Wednesday, although he made the bench on several occasions since.
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