After a lack of West Ham players in Stuart Pearce’s England U21 squad may have come as a disappointment, Dan Potts and Rob Hall have both been named in Peter Taylor’s provision U20 squad for the upcoming FIFA U20 World Cup this summer.
Taylor has named the two Hammers in the 35 man squad, but this will be cut down to just 21 on June 7th, so the young pair will have to impress in the training camp.
For Potts, this was an added bonus after initially being included in the U19 team for the UEFA European U19 Championship Elite Qualifying Round, but he will now be trying to impress at the next level.
The 19 year old defender told whufc.com: "I'm pleased to have been called-up, definitely... I'm very proud. It's a great experience. International football is a different kind of football. There is a lot to take in and you are representing your country at the end of the day.
"As much as it being a proud honour, you want to do your best for your country and the main objective is to do well.
"At the end of the day, as a young footballer you want to be at the top and it doesn't get much better than representing your country, that's for sure."
Potts also reflected on his season with the West Ham U21s and the first team, and he is pleased with his progress this season.
He said: "Looking back, I've got some good memories. I've had some good results and some bad results but it's all experience and a learning curve, so I take nothing but positives from them."
He also described his personal highlight from the season, singling out the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the FA Cup.
On that match, he said: "It was definitely up there with my best individual performances. You've got to take into account I was playing against the future champions of England. It was a great experience and now I just want to push on into next year."
Meanwhile, Rob Hall’s England experience at U17 level will hold him in good stead for this new challenge. After an impressive season on loan with Bolton and Birmingham, he will be hoping for a bigger opportunity at international level.
The U20 World Cup will be held in Turkey from June 21st and England will face Iraq, Chile and Egypt in Group E.
By Lucy Woolford, Youth and Development Squad reporter
@lucy_whufc
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