Defender Reece Hannam joined the Crystal Palace Academy in summer 2020. Within months, he'd earned a contract extension and multiple call-ups to the first-team squad. Recently, he spoke with the Palace programme to introduce himself to fans.
Footballers are adept at finding the platitudes necessary to ensure the professionalism and dedication they’ve had to master is clear.
Crystal Palace’s Reece Hannam has all of his peers’ qualities, but manages to convey them with consideration – skirting the vagueness of ‘knuckling-down’ while making his commitment to football abundantly clear.
The 20-year-old’s drive is evident through his past as much as it is his words, however, having started his pre-Academy career aged six, coached himself between clubs during lockdown and earned a contract extension just months into his original deal.