Academy success delights West Ham

West Ham academy director Tony Carr says teenage striker Freddie Sears is not the only home-grown star making a breakthrough in the Premier League.

Sears, 18, scored the winning goal on his first-team debut against Blackburn Rovers at the weekend.

"There was another young lad on the bench on Saturday, centre-back James Tomkins," Carr told BBC London.

"I'm sure he'll get his chance before the end of the season which will be fantastic for the academy."

The club has just appointed Gianluca Nani as their first technical director and he will look to further improve the academy and scouting network.

Nani will arrive from his current club Brescia in the summer but will start working with manager Alan Curbishley to identify potential signings immediately.

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