West Ham United have given young Czech Republic goalkeeper Marek Stech a five-year contract with the Premier League club.

18-year-old Stech has been at the Hammers youth academy since 2006, and has been handed the chance by West Ham boss Alan Curbishley to fight for the understudy role to Upton Park number one Robert Green.

Stech is a Czech Republic Under-19 International, and was voted the best Czech junior player in 2006, while at Sparta Prague, unfortunately he will miss the Under-19 European Championships, having only just recovered from a long-term injury.

"Marek has joined the club's pre-season training and will have the possibility of fighting for the back-up goalkeeping position," the player's agent Martin Riha told STK.