Nikola Vlasic scored again with thunderous strike on loan at Torino last night and it is great news for West Ham United.
Vlasic cost West Ham £26m last summer in a deal that could have reached as much as £33m with certain clauses being met.
Vlasic failed to establish himself at West Ham under David Moyes last season.
He scored just one goal and laid on two assists in 31 appearances for West Ham (Transfermarkt).
And he was shipped out on loan to Serie A side Torino this summer with the Italian club also having the option to make the move permanent.
Many West Ham fans felt Vlasic was not given a fair crack of the whip in his preferred central number 10 role.
After loaning the 24-year-old to Torino, West Ham have gone out and spent nearly £70m on Maxwel Cornet and Lucas Paqueta.
So regardless of how Vlasic fares with Torino – and given that an option to buy was inserted in the deal – his long-term future looks almost certain to be away from West Ham.
It has been a positive start to life in Italy for the on loan Hammer.
Last night Vlasic scored again with a thunderous strike on loan at Torino and it is great news for West Ham.
Playing in a more central number 10 role, Vlasic has two goals in his first three appearances.
And his powerful blast against Atalanta may have some West Ham fans thinking Moyes gave up on him too soon.
It was not enough to stop Torino falling to a 3-1 defeat as reported West Ham midfield target Teun Koopmeiners hit a hat-trick.
But what a strike it was. Declan Rice once said Vlasic is one of the most powerful players he has seen.
And it showed as Vlasic smashed home an unstoppable drive from inside the box to make it 2-1 in the game.
It seems clear Vlasic has no future at West Ham. So his form and goals for Torino are great news for the Hammers’ hopes of getting a permanent deal and some money back from the Italian side when they come to decide whether they want to keep him.
You can check out Vlasic’s goal – and the one he scored last week – in the videos below.