London, Sep 4 (IANS): West Ham United have announced young midfielder Lewis Orford has signed a new five-year contract, extending his stay with the Club until the summer of 2029. After spending pre-season with the first team during their trips to Austria and Florida, and making an excellent start to the Premier League 2 campaign, Orford has committed his future to the Club he has been representing since the age of five by putting pen to paper at the Rush Green Training Ground.

“Signing the new contract feels really good, I’ve always wanted to play for West Ham United, it’s where I’ve grown up. It was always my dream to represent this Club, and hopefully, I can do that in the Premier League. All my family supports West Ham, so it makes it even bigger on a personal level,” said Lewis to West Ham’s media team.

At just 18 years old, Orford has already had an illustrious youth career. A standout player for the U18s during their historic 2022/23 FA Youth Cup and Premier League South double-winning season, he has also been a regular in the England youth setup, captaining the U18s in their last game of the 2023/24 season, a 2-1 win against Morocco.

A box-to-box midfielder with an exceptional passing range, Orford has quickly adjusted to the demands of higher age groups and is eager to make his mark on the first team.

“I hope to try and make a few appearances for the first team, whether that happens in the next few months or towards the end of the season; that’s my goal. I want to keep playing well with the U21s, as I have been doing at the start of this season, and we’ll see what happens,” he added.

West Ham United Sporting Director Mark Noble has long been an admirer of Orford and his potential. As someone who, like Orford, has spent his life supporting West Ham, Noble has high hopes for the young midfielder.

“I’ve known Lewis for a long time. I’ve watched him train and play as a kid. He’s a fantastic passer of the ball. And what excites me is that he’s still got so much to learn,” said Noble.