John McGinn pays David Moyes highest compliment after Aston Villa take inspiration from West Ham United

David Moyes has come under plenty of criticism during his time as manager of West Ham, but that is now all in the past.

The Scot seemingly came very close to losing his job at one point last season, with the Hammers struggling at the lower end of the Premier League table.

But their safety was secured long before the final match, with the manager then guiding his side to an unforgettable Europa Conference League trophy.

Things have started very brightly for the manager and his players this time around, with the East London club sitting seventh in the table after their seven matches. They boast four wins so far, one of which was a stunning 3-1 victory over Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton in August.

Making the win more impressive was the fact that it came away from home, and how the Seagulls are flying high under their talented manager. But they were undone by a tactical masterclass by Moyes, with the manager now inspiring other clubs this season.

That was the case for Aston Villa in their 6-1 thrashing of Brighton on Saturday (30 September), with midfield ace John McGinn revealing that his club approached their clash with the Seagulls in exactly the same manner as West Ham did.

“We watched West Ham do it,” McGinn told TNT Sports, as quoted by the official Premier League website (2 October).

Premier League journalist Alex Keble added: “In a 3-1 win back in August, David Moyes showed that the best way to stop Brighton is to refuse to be baited into pressing their defenders, instead blocking off passes into central midfield before snapping into challenges in the central third.

“From there, quick transitional attacks can be launched. Villa did just that, surrounding the young central-midfield pair of Billy Gilmour and debutant Jack Hinshelwood, while leaving the centre-backs alone.”

Unai Emery did, of course, take things up a notch with six goals scored as opposed to three, but Moyes can take great confidence from the fact that his tactics are inspiring a manager who has had so much success in his career.

In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports journalist has mooted an international call-up for one “sensational” Hammers player.