Former England striker Stan Collymore has predicted that West Ham’s 4-2 win over Burnley on Saturday will turn out to be a turning point for senior star Felipe Anderson as he names two Irons in his team of the week.
The summer signing netted twice for the Hammers to help his club to pick up their first win in four games across all competitions, with what were his first goals for the club since scoring against Manchester United in their last victory.
The Brazilian was joined by Declan Rice in Collymore’s chosen XI as he heralded the pair for the performance against the Clarets.
He wrote in his Mirror column: “Declan Rice controlled the Hammers’ midfield against Burnley. Very confident performance.
“Felipe Anderson scored twice. Exactly what he needed to get his Hammers career rolling.”
Opinion
Collymore had no choice but to include Anderson as part of his 11 players for the team of the week after a show stealing performance, but Rice stands out as a potentially surprise inclusion among the selections. The young enforcer has established himself as a mainstay under Manuel Pellegrini but was Saturday’s performance really worthy of his place in this side? His duty was to stop the Burnley midfield and forward line from creating too many opportunities but the visitors to east London still managed to find their way through, scoring twice. Was he really better than David Silva, who once again dictated play for Manchester City, or Ki Seung-Yung at Newcastle, whose second half cameo secured the Magpies their first win of the season? Still, there is no arguing over Anderson’s place and the fans will be hoping Collymore’s prediction of a turning point comes true.