West Ham manager David Moyes has revealed in his pre-Manchester United press conference that he is counting on Sebastien Haller to make the difference in future games amid confirmation of Michail Antonio’s injury.
The 57-year-old, who formerly managed the Red Devils, claimed that the positivity in the Hammers’ dressing room and the boost in morale has played a key part in the team’s strong form this season, saying:
“I hope the fans will recognise that we’re a more energetic and committed team. I’ve got really good competition for the team too and people who are ready to play.
“The team are playing with positivity and the atmosphere inside the dressing room is fantastic. We have a group of young players willing to improve, we want to keep that going and I think we have a group showing another side to their game.”
A win against the Red Devils could take the Irons as high as third in the Premier League table, whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are looking to bounce back from Wednesday night’s Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Moyes also revealed that he is pinning his hopes on club-record signing Haller to make the difference in front of goal for the Hammers, after Michail Antonio was confirmed to be injured, saying: “[Michail Antonio] we believed was 100 per cent fit and was ready to go. A fully fit Antonio is someone that gives us a dimension.
“But [Haller] was coming back into form and getting confidence, so we’ll be looking to him now and hoping he can get the goals he has got in previous seasons.”
Haller recently scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over the league’s basement club Sheffield United, just his 13th in 46 games for the club.
Read West Ham Verdict
Both Haller’s recent good form and the energised spirits of the squad are great signs of encouragement for the Hammers – and they have come at a perfect time.
In order to keep their good run going, every benefit will come into play as they look to consign the Red Devils to a third successive London Stadium defeat.
