Ally McCoist shares his ‘love’ for West Ham United ace James Ward-Prowse live on talkSPORT after what he did
Ally McCoist has praised James Ward-Prowse for the way he went about his business in the summer prior to joining West Ham.
United were strongly linked with Ward-Prowse for a number of weeks before his £30million move [Sky Sports] went through on 14 August.
The 29-year-old made himself available for selection at Southampton during the period of uncertainty, playing in their first game of the season.
In a conversation about Ward-Prowse on talkSPORT Breakfast on Tuesday [14 November, 08:39], McCoist said: “One of the things I love about James Ward-Prowse is that, when the move didn’t go through initially, he didn’t throw the toys out of the pram.
“He got the sleeves rolled up and knuckled down. I thought ‘good on you’. Not a lot of players do that nowadays. He’s still only one free-kick off David Beckham’s Premier League record – you’d fancy him to beat that.”
Fair play
The speculation surrounding Ward-Prowse came at the same time that another Championship player, Leeds United ace Willy Gnonto, was himself being linked with a move to Everton.
Gnonto went on strike at Leeds in an attempt to force through an exit from Elland Road, whereas Ward-Prowse played – and assisted a goal – in Southampton’s win at Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the season.
A move to West Ham followed soon after and the England international has settled in superbly, having assisted nine goals and scored two of his own in 16 appearances to date.
That free-kick record mentioned by McCoist is waiting to be broken, and it is surely now just a matter of time before he does so.
While some questioned the sum of money paid to Southampton for Ward-Prowse, he deserves full credit for doing his talking on the field with some impressive displays.
In other West Ham news, a report has shared whether the Hammers intend to pursue a move for a player valued at £50m.