David Moyes has seemingly taken a back handed dig at West Ham ace Lucas Paqueta regarding his physicality, or lack thereof.
Paqueta, 25, joined the Hammers from Lyon in the summer transfer window for a club record £51 million fee (The Times).
However, the Brazilian has struggled to establish himself at the London Stadium as yet, with just one goal and a couple of assists to his name.
The ex-Lyon ace is clearly an exceptional talent, and it will undoubtedly take time for him to adjust to the robust and intense nature of Premier League football, having arrived from the more pedestrian paced Ligue 1.
And that’s something that Moyes has highlighted…
David Moyes drops back handed Lucas Paqueta dig
The Scot was speaking to reporters after his Hammers side beat Brentford 1-0 in the FA Cup third round clash last night.
Paqueta played against the Bees, but he certainly didn’t have his best game in a West Ham shirt.
And Moyes highlighted how the Brazilian needs to get up to speed with English football quickly, as quoted by WHUFC.com:
From Lucas Paquetá’s point of view, he’s got great ability as a footballer and he’s given us different things. But I’m saying to him ‘away from home at Brentford and Leeds United, you’re going to have to learn what the Premier League is like and how tough these games are’.
That’s a clear message from Moyes that Paqueta needs to toughen up for tricky away games and not spend too much time dithering when in possession of the football.
In fairness to the 25-year-old, the impression that I’ve got from him so far is that he’s been more than up for the physical battle since joining West Ham.
My one criticism of him is that he does tend to take too long on the ball, and that is something that he must learn quickly.
David Moyes taking a little dig at Lucas Paqueta isn’t a bad thing really. It should put some more fire in the Brazilian’s belly and make him desperate to prove to his manager that he is more than suitable for English football.
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