David Moyes compliments how fast Mexico international Edson Alvarez has adjusted, and the former captain, who joined Arsenal in the summer, claims parallels to him have not made his job tougher.
Edson Alvarez insists he has not been fazed by the pressure of replacing Declan Rice in West Ham ’s midfield.
The Mexico international, 25, has settled in seamlessly since arriving from Ajax in a £35m deal, with manager David Moyes praising his leadership and ability to make the players around him look better.
And Alvarez says the expectation that he would find it hard to fill the space vacated by former skipper Rice, who made a blockbuster £104m switch to Arsenal, has not weighed heavily.
Ahead of tomorrow’s game against Newcastle, Alvarez said: “I never put this pressure on myself. I’m a different player [to Rice]. I bring what I can bring: my spirit, my fight, everything.
“Believe me, I don’t try to put any of that on my mind, I just want to show the people my quality and my ability. I know the responsibility but I’m doing what I want to do and what I want to bring to the league.”
West Ham host Newcastle fresh off the back of a 2-1 win away to German side Freiburg in the Europa League on Thursday night, putting them top of Group A after two games and extended their unbeaten run in Europe to 17 games.
That is a record for an English club. and a bullish Alvarez says that there is no reason the Hammers cannot win a second continental trophy after Moyes’ side ended the 43-year wait by landing last season’s Conference League.
“The guys in the past showed already that they could win the Conference League so why not?” he added. “If we can keep doing what we [are] doing, then of course.
“We hope so and we work for that, to keep doing good things in European competition. We know what it means for our people and ourselves. We’ve already made two good steps and now we’re on top of the table.”
Alvarez was also gushing in his praise for Brazilian team-mate Lucas Paqueta, who was named man of the match on Thursday night. “He’s a special player,” Alvarez added.
“We have a very good connection – he’s Brazilian but we can understand each other. He’s a magnificent player and it’s a pleasure to play with him.”
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