The Irons bounced back from their defeat to Brentford with a 1-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, with Ogbonna scoring the winner.
Former top flight star Crooks was impressed with West Ham’s performance against Rafael Benitez’s side and explained that they have been playing with more confidence since last term.
Crooks was also impressed with the partnership between Hammers centre-backs Ogbonna and Zouma, who he feels were impenetrable at Goodison Park.
The Englishman admitted that he did not expect Zouma to become as good a player as he is now and explained that Ogbonna has turned into a top class Premier League defender.
“This was an impressive performance by any standard away from home by West Ham“, Crooks wrote in his BBC Sport column.
“The Hammers seem to have found an extra layer of confidence since last season.
“What was also impressive about this victory was their defensive unit, especially the partnership between Angelo Ogbonna and Kurt Zouma.
“They looked impenetrable at times against Everton.
“To be perfectly honest I didn’t think Zouma would work out quite as well as he has, bearing in mind I gave him a massive build up after his debut for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
“However it is Ogbonna who has grown into a top-class Premier League defender and Zouma would do well to stick closely to him.“
Having shone against Everton on Sunday, Ogbonna and Zouma could keep their place in the line-up for West Ham’s Europa League clash with Genk, keeping Issa Diop and Craig Dawson on the bench.
