David Moyes says £32k-a-week West Ham talent has been progressing well

West Ham United manager David Moyes has waxed lyrical about Flynn Downes, as per football.london.

The Hammers boss said the 24-year-old has been “progressing well” and has done a “good job”.

However, Moyes was quick to shut down any comparisons with West Ham captain Declan Rice.

Football.london asked the Hammers boss whether he felt Downes could be a potential successor to Rice.

“I wouldn’t like you to put them in the same names, the way you’ve done it,” replied Moyes.

“Flynn is doing a good job himself. He’s progressing well.

“I’ve said many times, if you bring boys in from the Championship, it can take a bit of time. So can go faster.

“Flynn has done a good job I think. We’ve trusted him, we’ve played him in a lot of big games.

“Is he a complete replacement for Declan Rice? I’m not sure about that.”

Our view

Credit to Moyes for making it clear he wasn’t keen on comparing Downes to Rice.

What the West Ham boss said was spot on.

Downes has done well since joining the Hammers from Swansea City last summer.

The jump in quality from the Championship to the Premier League is huge.

Therefore, it can take a while for a player coming from the second tier to properly get up to speed.

Meanwhile, Rice is, without a doubt, one of the best midfielders in the world.

Any comparisons between him and a teammate would put a lot of unnecessary pressure on the latter.

Downes certainly looks like he’ll have a bright future in the Premier League.

Indeed, you could argue the £32,000-a-week ace (Salarysport) should’ve been getting game time ahead of Tomas Soucek.

The 28-year-old has looked off the pace in recent weeks, and Downes seems like the logical replacement.