The Athletic reporter Roshane Thomas has recently heaped praise on West Ham United’s English defender Aaron Cresswell.
So far this season, the 30-year-old full-back has made five appearances in the top flight for the Hammers in which he has provided three assists for teammates (per WhoScored).
In four of his five appearances in the Premier League this term, Cresswell has played as a centre-back for David Moyes’ side (per Transfermarkt).
Over the duration of his entire career, the Englishman has only played in the centre of defence on 26 occasions, while he has made 294 appearances at left-back.
In the latest episode of The Athletic’s U Irons podcast, Thomas praised Cresswell and discussed his position change to centre-back.
He said: “A player who I want to make a special mention to is Aaron Cresswell because again, against Leicester [City], he was really good.
“[On Sunday], he was good as well. So, he’s someone who’s definitely surprised me with how well he’s [doing].
“You could make the argument that Cresswell’s put an extra year or two on his career with this system [and playing at centre-back].
“He doesn’t have to worry about always rushing back in defence because he’s got [Arthur] Masuaku to do that now.”
TIF Thoughts on Roshane Thomas’ praise of Aaron Cresswell’s recent form…
Judging from what Thomas had to say, he has been impressed with the defender’s performances so far this season and believes that his change in position may have extended his career.
Have you been impressed with Aaron Cresswell so far this season?No, he's not that good
Yes, he's been solid for us
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Certainly, looking at his average rating from the Premier League last season compared to what he has earned so far this campaign, it seems clear that his performances have improved.
Last term, the 30-year-old Englishman was the Irons’ 15th-best performer in the league with a 6.62/10 average rating. This season, Cresswell has been their fourth-best performer with an impressive 7.23/10 average rating.
So, it is abundantly clear that the defender has been delivering much-improved performances so far this season compared to the previous campaign.