Former Premier League wonderkid makes emotional return to club 13 years after leaving as fans joke ‘I feel old’

FORMER wonderkid Freddie Sears has made an affectional instrumentality to West Ham.

The striker burst onto the country aged 18, scoring a precocious victor against Blackburn conscionable 5 minutes into his debut successful 2008.

Over 500 appearances later, Sears has returned to his boyhood nine to negociate West Ham's Under-12s.

The 35-year-old has completed a Uefa B licence people to get his coaching vocation started.

On his instrumentality to the Hammers, an affectional Sears said: "I hadn’t been backmost since I near successful 2012. It was surreal being backmost successful the building. Everyone’s made maine truthful welcome. 

"I’ve loved being successful the building. Being backmost astatine the nine wherever I started has been fantastic.

“The archetypal time I came backmost for coaching, I saw Kevin Keen, 1 of my coaches here. Mark Phillips too, I’ve known him each my life.

"Zavon [Hines], who was successful the assistance twelvemonth supra me, is present coaching the Under-18s. I saw Nobes [Mark Noble] and Anton [Ferdinand] too.

"It’s a truly acquainted club. When you travel back, you consciousness similar you’ve ne'er been away.

“For me, this is conscionable the start. This twelvemonth is astir acquisition connected and disconnected the pitch.

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"One of the boys I coach, his granddad utilized to manager maine astatine West Ham. I’ve got a representation of it. It’s rather huffy to person a afloat ellipse infinitesimal similar that.

"He coached maine astatine Under-12s, and present I’m coaching his grandson astatine Under-12s. It’s a pinch yourself moment."

Sears, who was capped 3 times by England's Under-21s, had spells astatine Crystal Palace, Coventry and Colchester successful his career.

After loans distant from Upton Park, helium established himself astatine Ipswich, wherever helium played 218 times.

Sears has not hung up his boots conscionable yet, however, and helium balances his caller coaching relation with playing for non-league Chatham Town.

West Ham fans tin not judge the erstwhile teenage sensation is present backmost to assistance the nurture the adjacent prima to travel done the club's celebrated academy.

One said: "Time flies, I retrieve his debut. I'm feeling aged again."

Another added: "Good to spot you backmost Freddie, erstwhile a Hammer, ever a Hammer."