David Moyes heaped praise on midfielder Declan Rice after West Ham’s 2-0 Europa League victory over Dinamo Zagreb. The Hammers impressed throughout the contest in Croatia’s capital, with centre-forward Michail Antonio opening the scoring in the first half after rounding the Zagreb goalkeeper. The east London outfit were also resolute on the defensive end, stopping their opponent from registering a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. Rice then doubled West Ham’s lead in the 50th minute, picking up the ball in his own half before a powerful run ended with the midfielder finishing well from a tight angle. After the match, Moyes claimed the Englishman will only get better.
David Moyes said: “What he has tried to do is take himself to the next level. He is a terrific player who is getting better. He was the captain of West Ham in Europe away from home and he scored a goal. You must not forget he is 22-years-old a young boy with a big future. That is still the young player which we have all seen. The thing about it[the goal] is his ability to surge away from people, the power and speed. It is a great trait he has got and we would like him to use it more. If you can remember the last game of the season last year against Southampton, it was a little bit similar to that goal when he broke away and scored. He had a bit of a ribbing because he does not score enough goals so he’s beginning to stand up and we will have another very good goalscoring midfield player.”
The former Manchester United boss also admitted that he wants to still be in the competition past the group stages.
David Moyes said: “We are learning. I am excited at the prospect of not knowing how good we could be. We made changes and we did not look any worse for it. My target is to make sure we have European football after Christmas. But it is only one game and we have to try and continue the level we are at.”
