David Moyes wants to see Alex Kral add more aspects to the midfielders’ game before the West Ham United manager will unleash him in the Premier League, via football.london.
Kral moved to the London Stadium on loan from Spartak Moscow on Deadline Day to offer Moyes further deep-lying options. The Scottish coach relied heavily on Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice last season, with Mark Noble the only natural replacement.
Rice and Soucek have again carried the load in the league this term, with both yet to miss a minute. Noble, in contrast, has played just three-minutes over two appearances, while Kral is yet to feature in the top-flight. Instead, making his only outing so far in the Carabao Cup.
Moyes debuted Kral as West Ham beat Manchester United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night. The Czech Republic international partnered Noble at the base of the Irons’ midfield and impressed with his box-to-box efforts.
Kral’s not done enough yet
Kral pleased Moyes with what he produced at Old Trafford, but is unlikely to gain a key league role soon. The West Ham boss wants to see his last-ditch arrival round out his game and get acclimatised in England first.
“I think for Alex, he is getting to know us and the Premier League,” Moyes said. “Even [Nikola] Vlasic has had a little taste before [of the English top-flight while at Everton].
“Alex did a good job, but he has a little more to add to his game. You look at how long it took Said Benrahma to become a Premier League player. It sometimes takes six-months to get acclimatised, but Alex played really well the other night.”
Is Kral ready for a bigger role at West Ham?
West Ham paid Spartak Moscow £3m to loan Kral with the intention of the midfielder giving Moyes more options. Should he impress, the Irons have a £12m option to buy rising to £17m with add-ons. The clause will also become an obligation if he starts enough games.
Kral got his Irons career off to a strong start at Manchester United, breaking forward often and offering an option. Moyes now wants to see him add to that to warrant a bigger role in his Premier League plans. So far, the 23-year-old has only been an unused substitute.
But with West Ham progressing in the Carabao Cup and competing in Europe, Moyes will eventually offer Kral more chances. He just has to show he deserves them at Rush Green while Rice and Soucek remain available and performing.
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