West Ham United boss David Moyes admits summer signing Flynn Downes has given him more to think about after impressing against Anderlecht on Thursday night. While Moyes has warned Downes that he has to be patient and be ready to take chances when he gets them, he feels the lifelong Hammers fan is settled and gave a good account of himself against Anderlecht.
David Moyes said: “We are always in contact with the players. But you have to remember it is a huge step up from Ipswich to Swansea to the Premier League at a club who is trying to break the top six, and coming into a midfield with Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek is no easy task. If you are not going to be patient, that’s when you have a problem. You have to be patient, ready to take chances. He looks to be settling in now to what we want, but I thought he played really well last night.”
The final 20 minutes of the Anderlecht win saw Downes play in a two-man midfield with Hammers captain Declan Rice, summoned from the bench alongside Scamacca and Lucas Paqueta to get a late goal for Moyes’ side at Lotto Park. The trio all combined, with Scamacca finishing at the end of the move. Moyes feels that Downes can learn a lot from Rice and feels the quality of his current captain rubs off on players both at the club and country levels. Moyes suggested the development of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips have both been enhanced by playing in midfield with Rice for England.
David Moyes added: “Just like Jude Bellingham, just like Kalvin Phillips. It says a lot. Everybody wants to play alongside Declan Rice because of how good he is. So does Tomas Soucek. Downes is now giving us more competition and more to think about. I am really pleased. We signed him with big hopes knowing he was a young boy, a bit like with Jarrod (Bowen).”
