David Moyes has been blown away by the Premier League performances of Jeremy Ngakia – is he the Hammers’ own Aaron Wan-Bissaka?
The rapid rise of Jeremy Ngakia has given West Ham United some much-needed cheer with Hammers legend John Moncur comparing the young right-back to Manchester United’s £50 million man Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while speaking to LoveSportRadio.
It is hard to believe the latest fresh-faced talent to rise through the ranks at a historic London outfit had never made a Premier League appearance until six weeks ago.
Ngakia has made himself all-but indispensable in the blink of an eye with the 19-year-old looking like an experienced pro in each of his four top-flight games so far. David Moyes even called the London-born teen ‘fabulous’ after the recent 3-2 defeat to Liverpool.
Quick, powerful and with a fondness for a crunching tackle in an era where physicality is at a premium, you can understand why Moncur would draw comparisons between Ngakia and one of the most expensive players in Manchester United’s history.
“There is a rawness about him obviously but he’s got a lot of natural talent if you look at you know, he eats the ground up, he looks good at times going forward. He reminds me a little bit of Wan-Bissaka a little bit, he’s leggy and he’s a good defender,” said Moncur.
“So I think he’s been a real bonus. And so when someone comes in like that it gives the whole squad a lift because you think, blimey, we’ve got a signing here for nothing.”
Moncur tips Ngakia to follow in the footsteps of Glen Johnson, another exciting, homegrown right-back who shot to fame in claret and blue before enjoying a fine career at the top level with Chelsea, Liverpool and England.
But, four games into his Premier League career, Ngakia is just getting started. The test for him now is to establish himself in Moyes’ starting XI, keep Ryan Fredricks on the bench and save West Ham a penny or two over the summer.
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