Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has expressed his serious admiration for a West Ham United player who "can step up" for manager David Moyes.
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The Hammers' start to the new Premier League season has been a promising one overall, with West Ham currently sitting seventh after securing three wins, two losses and a draw. Both of Moyes' defeats have come at the hands of league high-flyers Man City and Liverpool, while impressive wins over Brighton, Chelsea and Luton showcase there is definitely something to work with.
This comes after a transfer window where West Ham brought in James Ward-Prowse, Edson Alvarez, Konstantinos Mavropanos and Mohammed Kudus, with two of the aforementioned already starting to justify their price tags in Claret and Blue. Ward-Prowse has been, arguably, one of the signings of the summer so far – bagging two goals and three assists in five league appearances.
The Irons are performing well in cup competitions, too, having sealed a 3-1 Europa League win over Backa Topola last week before booking their place in the EFL Cup Last 16 against Arsenal a few days ago. Losing superstar Declan Rice was seen as a big, big blow for Moyes, but the Scotsman has coped very well without the Englishman so far.
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While the likes of Ward-Prowse and Alvarez have starred as the new boys, there are other players who deserve just as much credit, as Sky pundit Merson says to Sportskeeda. The former Arsenal star says star in Moyes' squad "can step up" when required for Moyes.
England international winger Jarrod Bowen, according to Merson, is just a "manager's dream" as he gives a preview of West Ham's clash with Sheffield United today.
"I see nothing but a West Ham win here," wrote Merson.
"Especially with players like Jarrod Bowen in fine form. I'm a big fan of him and he has shown over the past 12 months that he can step up to the plate in big games, while he works his socks off for his team and is an absolute manager's dream. The only issue for Bowen is that England have too many players in his position, so he might find it hard to break into the side ahead of Euro 2024."
The 26-year-old has come into a rich vein of form so far, chipping in with four goals and an assist, which has even prompted talk of a new and improved contract. Bowen didn't exactly enjoy his finest year at West Ham last campaign, but the winger has seemingly come into a new lease of life under Moyes so far.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is another figure to have praised Bowen, saying this on him in 2022:
“Bowen, what a player he became! Unbelievable. We saw him as well at Hull and he was really good at that time. I’m not sure a lot of people expected this jump, but unbelievable player.”