OPINION
David Moyes wasn’t given many reasons to smile during West Ham’s friendly against Dagenham & Redbridge on Wednesday, but the performance of Alfie Lewis should have him grinning from ear to ear.
The Hammers beat the National League side 3-1 on Wednesday and several players looked far from Premier League quality.
Aaron Cresswell struggled against Dagenham before being subbed, with recent signings Jordan Hugill and Patrice Evra also failing to set the world a light against the lower ranked opposition.
Moyes then also had to deal with the fact that James Collins only managed to complete 30 minutes of the fixture, before grabbing his hamstring and limping off.
However aside from the fact that Michali Antonio impressed during the game, Moyes’ only reason to be happy and hopeful for the future was Lewis’ display.
The 18-year-old central midfielder may not have ever featured for the Hammers’ senior side, but you would have had a hard time believing that he wasn’t a member of the first-team on Wednesday.
Lewis shone compared to his superstar teammates with his passing looking worthy of the Premier League.
The talented teen made several runs in midfield and showed how the senior side would benefit from having someone with younger legs in the heart of its midfield, instead of the tired legs of Mark Noble and Pablo Zabaleta.
While Lewis is still a long way off being a first-team regular at the Hammers, with him currently playing in the U-18 Premier League, Moyes will no doubt not forget his performance for a while.
The Scottish manager will feel like he has unearthed a hidden gem at the club and should look to fast-track him immediately.
Therefore even though it would have been nice for Moyes to have been impressed by some of his senior stars, at least the display of Lewis would have grabbed his attention.