MOYESY: BEN CAN BE TOP TEN
Hammers boss backs £30m man to shine
DAVID Moyes is backing big- money signing Said Benrahma to be a huge success for the Hammers.
The winger moved across London from Brentford on deadline day for a whopping £ 30million including addons.
The 25- year- old has to prove he can step into the Premier League and his new manager will give him all the time he needs to find his feet.
Moyes said: “Said’s doing well.
“I think he’s needing to get up to speed with what we want and where we are. The way the players are playing, it’s given me that opportunity to get a bit more time with him.
“Like I always say, with the boys I bring in from the Championship, I’m not in a great rush to put them in the team.”
Comparisons to Benrahma have been made with fellow Algerian Riyad Mahrez who has stepped up his game since signing for Manchester City.
But Moyes thinks he has a long way to go to match that sort of form.
The Scot added: “I want to give them opportunities, but I want to do it at the right time, when I think it’s best for them.
“There’s a difference in that Mahrez came from the champions in Leicester, and we’re bringing Said from the Championship.
“We’re bringing him on and developing him and looking to see if he can step up to the levels required.
“But what I’ve seen at the moment is good signs. We’re trying to get him a little quicker, a little more ready for the Premier League.
“I’ve done it with a lot of Championship players over the years, so I’ll take my time, bring him on when I’m ready and, hopefully, get him in the right condition to start and play well when he does.”
Another of West Ham’s forward’s — Manuel Lanzini — has come in for praise from the manager.
The 27- year- old came off the bench to score a stunning equaliser in the Hammer’s 3- 3 draw at Tottenham.
It has been a long way back for the Argentina international who ruptured his cruciate ligament two years ago. He is only now starting to show the form that got him into that team alongside the likes of Lionel Messi.
He wasn’t helped by breaking his collarbane last winter that meant he was on the sidelines again.
Moyes is backing Lanzini to get his form back to his best level.
He said: “No doubt the injury has had an impact on where he is but I don’t see a reason why he can’t get back to that level.
“I can see the improvement in training, he’s got competition and when you have competition the best thing you can do is what he did.
“We’ve got really good competition for places and we want Manu to be a part of that because he has talent.”