West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed he told winger Robert Snodgrass that he was too fat and that he needed to lose weight to be part of the first team squad back in summer.
The Scottish forward returned to the London Stadium after a mostly-successful loan stint at Aston Villa, helping the Championship side to the play-off final before losing to Fulham, and has gone on to complete a surprising turnaround to become a regular in the Hammers’ first team.
However, Pellegrini revealed what he told the experienced attacker over summer, revealing that weight loss needed to be his priority, and that the hard work shown resulted in him staying in east London.
He told football.london: “He told me what happened last season, I know also he was an important player at Aston Villa, but I when I spoke with him I told him that if he has any chance to play he must reduced his weight, his fat.
“So when I saw him working so hard in pre-season I was absolutely sure he wanted to stay here and that he was going to fight to have a place in the squad.He did it and he is deserving what he is living in this moment.”
Opinion
Pellegrini is not one to beat around the bush when it comes to his players, and it seems he told Snodgrass exactly what he needed to hear to turn his Hammers career around 180 degrees. Whatever was said behind the scenes appears to have worked a treat, with the Scottish star now one of the first names among the squad, acting as a dependable source of attacking flair and hard work. Losing the weight would have impacted his fitness levels in a positive way, and that is perhaps what was stopping him from being a success in the Premier League prior to the Chilean’s arrival. Now he is able to run around the pitch faster and for longer and with the intense pace of England’s top flight, it means he is much more suited to the demands than he was before. He is still not a world class footballer but his work ethic and dedication to the cause make him a valuable asset to Pellegrini.