West Ham United have endured a topsy-turvy campaign thus far.
West Ham United’s Mark Noble
Hammers skipper Mark Noble spoke to reporters in the aftermath of his side’s superb 1-0 win over Spurs on Friday, and lavished praise upon Manuel Lanzini, labelling him as West Ham’s ‘little gem’, as quoted by the club’s official website.
The East London outfit have turned their season around in recent weeks, putting together a run of five games without a defeat, and more impressively, they have conceded just two goals during that period.
Despite their inconsistent campaign on the while, one major shining light for Slaven Bilic’s side has been the performances of Lanzini, who made his switch to the London Stadium a permanent one in the summer of 2016.
The Argentine’s role within the team has become more prominent since Dimitri Payet’s acrimonious exit from the club in January, and is now arguably Bilic’s most important player, from an attacking perspective at least.
And Noble told reporters how special the 25-year-old play-maker is, as quoted by WHUFC.com:
West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini celebrates
“I love Manu. He’s great at scoring in derbies, isn’t he? He’s our little gem as they call him and that’s why we’re in the team, to do the hard work and grind it out and let Manu be our special little player.”
With the role of talisman placed firmly on Lanzini’s shoulders, he seems to have flourished over the past few months, and improved as a player.
And if Bilic can supplement his qualities by bringing in some top-class signings during the summer, West Ham fans should be very confident heading into the the 2017/18 Premier League campaign.
West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini celebrates
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