West Ham United have dominated the back pages over this past week.
During an interview with the Sun, former West Ham and Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince offered his opinion on the Dimitri Payet situation, and slammed the Frenchman for his unprofessional behaviour.
At the same time, Ince highlighted how his absence from the team may actually improve the rest of the players’ performances, because they relied upon him too much to make things happen when he was playing.
The 29-year-old is odds on to leave the club this month, but the Hammers are holding strong on their £30 million valuation of the player.
West Ham United’s Dimitri Payet
And Ince offered his view on the goings on at his old club, during an interview with the Sun:
“When you have someone like Payet at West Ham you have a player that the other lads rely on. They look to him for a piece of magic that wins the game. They might shirk a little bit of responsibility. I can understand players wanting to go and better themselves, but I don’t accept the way that some players act when they manipulate a club or a manager. Payet could have made his feelings clear to Slaven Bilic in private. He could have continued to play to the top of his game for the good of the team.”
West Ham’s Dimitri Payet reacts
Ince had similar troubles during his playing career when, in 1989, he was pictured in a newspaper wearing a Manchester United shirt, whilst he was still a West Ham player.
He eventually left for Old Trafford, but had to endure torrents of abuse for the actions which preceded the move.
The only difference with the Payet situation, is that if he does leave, it will most surely be for foreign shores, and it will be unlikely that he will ever come into contact with the Hammers contingent again.
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