After hearing reports of an Ireland U21 international impressing in West Ham United's pre-season, we went to West Ham Fan TV to get the lowdown, and to find out if those who had seen him play were impressed with what they saw.
And they were.
Josh Cullen is a name that should be on the radar of every Irish football fan, and we received a glowing report from West Ham academy expert Scott Collier who expressed his belief that the man who will be lining out for Noel King's U21 side this week has all the tools to be a big player for West Ham and Ireland in the future.
In fact, comparisons were drawn to Mark Noble, who needless to say is held in very high regard by Hammers fans, right from the off.
Cullen is one of the biggest prospects to come out of the West Ham Academy since the rise of club captain Mark Noble.
Cullen's performance against Italian champions Juventus showed that this young midfielder has the skill, composure and maturity to compete at the highest level. The young Hammer didn’t look out of place on the pitch with the likes of Pereyra, Pjanic and Dybala.
His performance against Juve was certainly encouraging, with many West Ham fans feeling he deserved the man of the match award, and his fondness for 'getting stuck in' was clear to see, but according to West Ham Fan TV, there is much more to his game.
Cullen is an all-round midfielder with an excellent range of passing, an eye for goal, even for a small player loves to get his foot in on a tackle and has an engine to be a box to box midfielder. He has rejoined Bradford after a successful loan spell last season. Cullen’s performances for Bradford were only over-shadowed by the superb form of West Ham loanee Reece Burke who went on to take player of the year for the Bantams.
Since returning to play for Bradford, Cullen has bagged himself two goals and even has his own song which is modelled on West Ham's fondness for Dimitri Payet.
Special tribute to #bcafc 's hero @JoshCullen8 who thankfully now has a song of his own
Listen and learn please pic.twitter.com/xgGyPqJlUL— Bantam Pete (@BantamPete) August 13, 2016
But Bradford may have to let him return home, as there is a lot expected of the Irish U21 international back in London, so much so that he is seen as a future captain and long-term replacement for Mark Noble.
Bradford fans are overjoyed to be having Cullen back in the side. This could be a good move for West Ham loaning the youngster back out, to gain more experience. For me, I see Cullen as a long-term replacement for Noble on the pitch and as club captain. He has a big future at the club and the world at his feet.
That is certainly exciting.
The move to Bradford does appear to be good for all involved, but we will be keeping a keen eye on his progress both this season and when he returns to West Ham.
We previously listed Cullen as our one-to-watch from our round-up of the most promising Irish youngster at each Premier League club, but having heard what those who have seen him grow as a player beleive he can achieve, we are certainly looking forward to seeing how he turns out.
A big thanks to West Ham Fan TV for the report.
