Djair Parfitt-Williams and Nathan Trott were paid a special visit at the West Ham United Academy this week.

Clyde Best, the former West Ham forward, met with his young compatriots — who have both made big strides at the Premier League Club — at the world-class facility on Monday.

Best, who scored 47 goals in 186 appearances for West Ham between 1969 and 1976, has travelled to London for the launch of his autobiography The Acid Test, in which he explores the trials and tribulations he faced as one of the first black players to make an impact on English football.

The Bermuda Sports Hall of Fame inductee was one of the first black stars in English football, despite having to endure vile abuse in an era where racism was rife on the terraces.

Parfitt-Williams became the first Bermudian signed by West Ham since Best, who recommended the player to the club.

Best, who had been contacted by the player’s grandfather Lynn Wade, said he immediately spotted something special in Parfitt-Williams, who was then aged 14, during a Somerset Trojans training session.

Forward Parfitt-Williams is considered as one of West Ham’s most exciting talents.

The former San Jose Earthquakes academy player has already experienced first-team football having played for West Ham against Lusitanos, of Andorra, in the Europa League qualifiers, and been named in the squad for Premier League matches. Last season Parfitt-Williams was a member of West Ham’s squad that lifted the Under-21 Premier League Cup after their 5-3 penalty shoot-out victory at Hull City.

He came off the bench to grab a late winner in West Ham’s 1-0 home win over Hull in the first leg and finished as the competition’s joint-leading goalscorer with five goals along with Hull striker Greg Olley.

“He can go past people and get the crowd on the edge of their seat,” Mark Phillips, the West Ham Under-18 coach, said. “He’s like a Ronaldo, if you want. He has loads and loads of tricks in his book; he can face a player one-on-one and go past him.”

Trott, who kept a clean sheet in West Ham’s 4-0 victory away to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League 2 on Monday, signed an initial 2½-year deal with the club in January, which has since been extended until 2020.

The goalkeeper has also trained with West Ham’s first team at the club’s Rush Green training ground.

In October the former BAA and Bermuda Under-17 goalkeeper earned a first call-up to the England Under-19 squad for two international friendlies against Croatia and Bulgaria. However, he was ruled out after injuring his thumb while training with his club.

“The lad’s got great potential and it’s so difficult to find good, young goalkeepers,” Chris Woods, the former England goalkeeper and West Ham United’s first-team goalkeeping coach, said.