Club number two plays down transfer talk.
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West Ham United’s assistant manager Neil McDonald has said that though he thinks highly of Stewart Downing he has sought to distance the club from any transfer talk concerning the two, Sky Sports reports.
Reports earlier this week suggested that the Hammers were looking to bring the Liverpool man down to east London to pair him up with fellow former Liverpool player Andy Carroll.
Downing has struggled for form and found himself in and out of the Liverpool side since completing his £20 million move from Aston Villa in 2011 and has finally started to be linked with a move away from Anfield.
The 28-year-old made 25 starts and four substitute appearances for the Reds in the Premier League last season, scoring three goals and claiming five assists – a considerably much better return than no goals or assists in 36 appearances the campaign before.
The Hammers are known to be in the market for wide players to provide a supply line for Carroll, who has now joined the club on a permanent basis.
And though Sam Allardyce’s right hand man, McDonald, is a fan of the 28-year-old, and would like the opportunity to work with him, he has admitted that and talk of a move is nothing but premature.
“He’s a very good player,” he said. “A player of that calibre and West Ham being involved would be great, but it’s all paper talk at the moment.”