Borussia Mönchengladbach announced the loan signing of West Ham defender Reece Oxford on Wednesday.

The 18-year old will spend the upcoming season plying his trade in the Bundesliga and Borussia Mönchengladbach have had their hand in developing some of Europe's most promising prospects in recent years.

Oxford, who has made seven Premier League appearances for West Ham, will hope to follow in the footsteps of Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen, who furthered his development with the German side over the last two years and became one of Europe's best young defenders. Oxford's ceiling is notably high and with the departure of Christensen, Gladbach seemed to have found a direct replacement with Oxford.

The addition of Oxford gives Gladbach the opportunity to field another young starting lineup next season and continue to boast exceptional young talent while Oxford, who made his Premier League debut at 16 years old, has the chance to get his development back on track after a rough stint with Reading.

Oxford spoke to the club's website, praising the stadium and highlighting his excitement to get training underway before adding, "This will be a great step for me." The move will come as a surprise for many in England as it is rare for young players to go abroad but all three parties involved believe this is the right decision for Oxford's future. The loan move could also spark a movement of young English players going overseas to get playing time and aiming for more experience.

While the majority of English clubs loan their young stars to clubs throughout Europe, it's rare to see a young English defender make the leap with Championship sides being the preferred option for them.

In this case, there is no option to buy for Borussia Mönchengladbach as West Ham value Oxford very highly and plan on his future being with the London club.

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About the author
Harry  Harris
Covering the Premier League, Bundesliga and NFL. Writing for VAVEL since May 2014. Chelsea FC and Atlanta sports.