Quick learner Felipe Anderson’s readiness to take advice has proved central to his fine Premier League form, according to Manuel Pellegrini.
Anderson has now fired seven goals in his last nine games for West Ham, including the pair that sealed Thursday’s 2-1 Premier League victory at Southampton.
The 25-year-old has found his feet and then some after an inauspicious start to life with West Ham, following his club-record £36million move from Lazio in the summer.
West Ham boss Pellegrini believes Anderson’s ability to adapt, via the east London club’s advice, has helped him hit full stride.
“I think that Felipe first of all is quick and has great skill,” said Pellegrini.
“Perhaps he continued running too much with the ball and that was the reason why in the beginning it seemed he was not doing things so well.
“But I always trust in him, I talk always about a lot of different things with him after the game, and he always listens.
“And I am absolutely sure that in the second-half of the season Felipe will be much better.”
Lukasz Fabianski pulled off a string of fine saves to help steer West Ham to their St Mary’s victory, and hopes the Hammers can extend that form in Sunday’s trip to Burnley.
Former Arsenal keeper Fabianski hailed his Burnley counterpart Joe Hart for rebuilding his career with the Clarets after stalling at Manchester City.
Hart spent last season on loan with West Ham, following a year at Torino in 2016/17, before signing permanently for Burnley in the summer.
And Fabianski admitted Hart’s desire for regular football shows his no-fear approach.
“That shows the great character Joe has, that he is not afraid of the challenges,” said Fabianski.
“He wants to continue to play and prove he is a quality goalkeeper.
“He has shown this season he is a great goalkeeper. I am happy he is doing really well.
“It’s very lonely being a goalkeeper, sometimes there are some very lonely, sad moments but that is the life of being a goalkeeper.
“With experience you are used to some dark moments, but that is part of the game.
“Every setback in the league is another challenge and another opportunity to put things right.
“We were not happy dropping points against Watford at home and wanted to get back to winning ways at Southampton.
“Now the challenge is to continue to deliver good performances and get good results. The challenge for Burnley is to prove what happened against Everton (a 5-1 loss) was not their best game.
“Even though we have a load of injuries, when you look at the group and the players that have stepped in, they are quality players.
“As a group we have a strong mentality, strong character and we don’t dwell on the players we are missing. We just focus on performances.”