Arsenal star and ex-West Ham captain Declan Rice has extended his condolences to the family of young Irons goalkeeper Oscar Fair, who has tragically died at just 15. The Hammers' sporting director, Mark Noble, disclosed statement that Fair had lost his fight with cancer.
"Oscar was adored by everyone at the academy - not only was he a great goalkeeper, he was a true Hammer and a fantastic young person, who will be deeply missed by everyone who had the pleasure to know him," Noble wrote.
"I have wonderful memories of Oscar playing in my garden - Lenny and his teammates all loved him. He was a friendly, happy, well-mannered and polite young man, who had such a bright future ahead of him, and it is just so unimaginably devastating that he has been taken from his family and friends at this age."
In a gesture of respect, West Ham United has postponed all academy games for the weekend, including the Premier League 2 clash against Stoke City scheduled for this evening.
Noble assured that the club will announce plans to honour Oscar's memory and vowed that his name will live on at West Ham. "The thoughts and sincere condolences of everyone at the club are with Oscar's parents, Natalie and Russell, and his brother Harry, and we kindly ask that the family's privacy is respected at this extremely difficult time. Rest in peace, brave Oscar."
Rice took to his Instagram to share the Hammers' post, adding a touching caption: "Rest in peace Oscar."
West Ham figures such as Carlos Soler and Patrice Evra have joined in expressing their condolences. Shay Given, a former Ireland goalkeeper, also commented.