David Moyes has made an admission about Lucas Paqueta after his performance for West Ham against Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday (5 October).
Speaking to the Evening Standard after the game, the Hammers boss said the Brazilian international drives him “mad” sometimes and there are moments where he questions what the midfielder is doing.
But after the 26-year-old opened the scoring in the 2-1 victory over the Bundesliga side, the Scot added that he was “terrific” and admitted that he accepts some of the things the player does on the pitch, referring to him as a “maverick”.
Lucas was terrific,” said Moyes. “He drives me mad sometimes but everybody who watched him would have said ‘this player has got incredible talent’.
“There is a word that goes around, a maverick. He is that for us. It is really important we get him in and adapt to him and accept some of his things.
“He may not do things which are what I would say conventional but we are really enjoying him at the moment and he is terrific at taking the ball under pressure. But also there are moments when I say ‘what are you doing?’”
There is no doubt that when it comes to Paqueta, the positives of his game massively outweigh the negatives for West Ham with his contribution to the team.
The Brazilian does things that other players can’t do and, quite frankly, he would probably slot into any team in the world right now on his current form.
That is why Manchester City – the best side on the planet right now – were desperate to sign him over the summer before his move to the Etihad Stadium eventually fell through.
Yes, there are moments where he gives the ball away cheaply, but he makes up for that by producing pieces of brilliance on a regular basis.
The midfielder appears to have taken his game to another level this season and everyone associated with the club will be looking forward to seeing him continue to impress.
