Slaven Bilic has identified Michail Antonio, Cheikhou Kouyate, Manuel Lanzini as the three most athletic players in the West Ham squad.
The former Hammers manager pointed out how the first-team trio are a cut above their teammates when it comes to fitness and covering distance as he defended the side’s fitness record six weeks after his sacking.
There is a notion that new manager David Moyes has already made the team fitter given that West Ham covered less yardage than any other team at the start of the season.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Bilic insisted the statistics were selective and not reflective of the team’s actual fitness.
“We had players sent off in the first half of two games and that affects the stats, because their yardage is zero after that. Somebody calculated the running table without the games against Southampton and Burnley. We weren’t top, but we weren’t bottom. We also had our most athletic players Michail Antonio, Cheikhou Kouyate, Manuel Lanzini injured.
“But OK, there is an element with a change of manager, the new brush is a better brush. It happened at Leicester with Ranieri, when Shakespeare came. They were suddenly flying. Now it is happening with Puel in for Shakespeare.”
OPINION
Few West Ham fans will be too surprised that running machines Antonio and Kouyate are namechecked by Bilic as two of three fittest and most athletic members of the squad. A few eyebrows may be raised at the mention of Lanzini, who has come under fire from a section of supporters this season for performances that they claim are well below pair. There is also a sense that the Argentine is not putting in as much effort as he should, an argument that is not substantiated by someone who knows the players better than almost anyone else.