He might have been born in Stepney and been a lifelong West Ham fan, but John Moncur was 27 when he signed from Swindon Town in 1994. The midfielder would spend nine years with the Hammers, starring under manager Harry Redknapp as the team achieved a number of top-half Premier League finishes, including fifth in 1998/99, and was also part of the side which won the Intertoto Cup.

Also a midfielder, son George made his first-team debut as a substitute in a League Cup win over Crewe Alexandra at the Boleyn Ground in August 2012 and ended the season by being named Young Hammer of the Year. He made his first and only start in January 2014 in an infamous FA Cup third-round defeat in January 2014.

Next was Dan Potts, who followed his famous father Steve on 17 December 2011, when he started a 1-0 home win over Barnsley in the EFL Championship at the Boleyn Ground. Defender Potts went on to play 13 times in four different competitions – the League Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and the Championship – before joining Luton Town in summer 2015.

Twenty-seven years earlier, Potts’ father Steve made the first of 506 appearances in a 3-1 home defeat by Queens Park Rangers on New Year’s Day 1985. He would win promotion to the top-flight twice, win two Hammer of the Year awards, serve as captain for three seasons and score one goal, against Hull City in 1990.

The older Potts has been a member of the Academy of Football’s coaching staff for many years. Among the players he coached was his younger son Freddie, who made his West Ham debut in a UEFA Europa League group-stage tie with Dinamo Zagreb at London Stadium on 9 December 2021. He has spent the previous two seasons impressing on loan at Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth.

Forward Elliot Lee followed his England international father Robert into the West Ham first team in January 2013, when he debuted in an FA Cup third-round tie with Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground. Elliot has since gone on to win three promotions with Wrexham. Before him, Robert played 19 times during the 2003/04 season.

Goalkeeper David Martin memorably followed his father Alvin into West Ham’s history books in November 2019, when he debuted in a 1-0 Premier League win at Chelsea. David went on to play five times in total, just 591 fewer than his defender dad, who won the FA Cup in 1980, reach the League Cup final in 1981, helped the Hammers finish third in the top-flight in 1985/86 and won three Hammer of the Year awards.

Of course, dozens of other West Ham players had fathers who played professional or semi-professional football at other clubs, including current squad members Jarrod Bowen and Andy Irving, while the sons of Vladimír Coufal and former Hammers Mark Noble, Anton Ferdinand and Bobby Zamora are all currently at the Academy of Football.