Callum Marshall has signed his first professional contract with West Ham United.
Marshall, who is a product of the Linfield academy, signed his deal on Monday after turning 18, following a string of impressive performances for the Hammers.
Having scored an incredible nine goals in just four outings for the Under-18s at the start of the season, Marshall has since featured eight times in all competitions for the Under-21s, scoring his first Premier League 2 goal away to Blackburn Rovers last month.
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The Glengormley teenager made five appearances for Linfield’s first team and found the net in an 11-0 League Cup win over PSNI before making the switch to the London Stadium.
"Signing my first professional deal with West Ham United feels really good,” Marshall told whufc.com.
“It’s something that I’ve been working towards my whole life.
“My 2022 has been very enjoyable and has also had its peaks and troughs. I’ve just been trying to replicate my form from the U18s into the U21s, and it’s been a hard step up.
"I’m on my way back from an injury too so, for me, it’s about getting as much game time as I can with the U18s in the coming weeks, and hopefully do well.
“Now it’s time for me to push on. I need to keep my foot on the gas and keep going forward. I’m so happy to sign my first professional deal and now I want to try and get back into the U21s team after the World Cup.”
The attacker made his development team debut in the Premier League Cup fixture at home to Sparta Prague in September and has since gone on to play for Mark Robson’s team on nine occasions.
He netted his first goal at U21 level in October, helping the young Irons to earn a comeback 2-2 draw away to Blackburn Rovers.
“We are delighted to agree professional terms with Callum," said Interim Academy Manager Kenny Brown.
"Callum has been a consistent figure in our U18s and, more recently, our U21s since joining the Academy of Football in January and it has been a pleasure to see him improve each week.
“I know Callum’s efforts have caught the eyes of West Ham United fans in his short time with us already and everyone in the Academy is eager to see him continue to grow and develop throughout the rest of the 2022/23 season and beyond.”
Marshall netted once again on Tuesday afternoon for the U18’s as the Hammers claimed a 4-2 victory over London rivals Chelsea.
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