MICHAIL ANTONIO has claimed that team-mate Gianluca Scamacca needs a different manager to reach his best.
The West Ham star suggested that the club’s £35million Italian striker is “not a fighter” and has struggled to play the way David Moyes would like him to.
AlamyGianluca Scamacca has struggled to hit his best form in his first season at West Ham[/caption]
PATeam-mate Michail Antonio has claimed that the Italian is ‘not a fighter’[/caption]
Scamacca, 24, joined the Hammers last summer in a high-profile move from Serie A side Sassuolo.
Life at the London stadium started well for the striker as he netted regularly in the Europa Conference League but struggled for consistency in the Premier League.
His season was cut short with a knee injury which has sidelined him since April.
But Antonio, 33, thinks his struggles have come from his playstyle rather than his injuries.
He said on the Filfthy Fellas YouTube Channel: “He is actually quality, he is a quality player.
“The problem is, he can not play the way the manager wants to play.
“He needs a different type of manager who will let him play with players to come off him and stuff like that.
‘You see that, the ball comes to him, and it sticks.
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“But with David Moyes, you have to feed off scraps, be a fighter… and he’s not that.”
Scamacca finished the season with an overall record of eight goals in 27 appearances in all competitions.
One of the reasons behind his arrival at the club was Moyes’ ambition to turn the Hammers into a more possession-dominant side.
But struggles in the league and other players not adapting to the club saw the plan go out the window.
Scamacca has now been linked with an exit from West Ham, with a move back to his native Italy the most likely destination for him this summer.
Inter Milan has been touted as a potential destination for the Italian international as they eye him as a replacement for the ageing Edin Dzeko.