West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini says he has complete faith in Grady Diangana, who made his first Premier League start in the 1-1 draw against Leicester City.
Still only 20, Diangana had earlier left a mark in West Ham’s 8-0 thrashing of Macclesfield in the EFL Cup a few weeks ago as he scored a brace.
Injuries to key players have left holes to fill in West Ham’s first team and Pellegrini handed Diangana his first start as Marko Arnautovic wasn’t fit enough to play.
Diangana played on the right wing and impressed the manager with his work-ethic as the Hammers went down to ten men against Leicester during the first half.
“Very happy for him. He has the personality to play in the same way that he has worked every day of the week.
“He is a young player who I trust a lot in what he can do during the game. I think he played a good game and must continue taking his chances”, Pellegrini said in the post-match press conference.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, West Ham managed to keep out Leicester before a deflected Wilfried Ndidi strike restored parity.
Diangana’s performance will endear him to the Hammers faithful and he will hope to make the best use of any opportunities that come his way in the coming weeks.
