West Ham United defender Pablo Zabaleta has called for his side to look after Grady Diangana after the young attacker’s impressive form for the Hammers.
Diangana made his debut for West Ham in the 8-0 rout of Macclesfield in the EFL Cup in September and has gone on to make his Premier League debut with the Hammers as well.
The 20-year-old provided the assist for Felipe Anderson’s second goal of the Premier League game against Burnley as West Ham emerged 4-2 winners on Saturday.
Zabaleta believes that Diangana’s impressive start with the senior team will attract the media’s attention and that it is up to the club to protect the winger.
“I don’t like to compare players or people", Zabaleta told West Ham United's official website.
“We just need to look after him and he will attract all the attention from the media, fans and all of us.
“At least I want to make sure he keeps his feet on the ground, keeps working and keeps improving because we need him now.
“He’s one of the only few players who can play wide and bring us a lot of things, so let’s not put pressure on him and compare him with someone."
Diangana has made his presence felt in the absence of Andriy Yarmolenko, who is currently sidelined with an Achilles injury.
The West Ham academy product has started in the club’s last three Premier League games, but is yet to score his first league goal for the club.
