West Ham United defender Reece Oxford has claimed that he is "fitter than ever" and ready to stake a claim for a starting spot at loan club Borussia Monchengladbach.

The 18-year-old has yet to feature for the Bundesliga side since joining on loan from United in the summer, leading to suggestions that the deal would be cut short.

Oxford, who also spent time with Reading in the Championship last term, is happy to bide his time at Borussia-Park in the hope of gaining further experience when finally given some playing time.

"I think I'm fitter than ever now. I've done pre-season with Gladbach, I feel good and ready, I'm just waiting for my opportunity. It's patience, I'm young, watching the centre-backs ahead of me, and seeing what I can do to make me better," he told Sky Sports News.

"I'm just ready now, ready to make my debut, and hopefully it'll be good and I won't look back from there. I just hope to return to West Ham as a more experienced player, ready to play in the Premier League or any league. My long-term goals are to be in the England squad, play in a World Cup and be captain for my country, I've always wanted to be that.

"Germany is just a big experience, from the Championship, which is a physical league, to Germany, which is fast and quick. Germany is good for young players, they're very strict and training is very intense. I'm not saying West Ham or Reading's training wasn't good, it's just different here."

Oxford has captained England at age-grade level and was recently included in the list of UEFA Golden Boy nominees.