West Ham captain Mark Noble has hailed the importance of Manuel Lanzini to the East London club saying he is its “special gem”.
The 29 year old Noble said, “I love Manu. He’s great at scoring in derbies, isn’t he? He’s our little gem as they call him and that’s why we’re in the team, to do the hard work and grind it out and let Manu be our special little player.
Since the infamous departure of Dimitri Payet during the January transfer window, Lanzini has become arguably the Hammers’ most influential player. He netted the only goal of West Ham’s surprise 1-0 win over Premier League title contenders Tottenham on Friday, to ease the pressure on manager Slaven Bilic.
West Ham have had a disappointing season this term, failing to build upon the impressive displays of last season. However there is no doubt that Lanzini has been one of the few standout performers of the side.
