West Ham United manager David Moyes has singled Declan Rice out for criticism as his side earned a hard-fought but unconvincing 1-0 win over Watford.
The Hammers continue to look like contenders for the top four, but they’ve not looked quite as convincing lately as they have at other points in the season.
Rice has been one of the club’s star players, but Moyes admits he wasn’t himself against Watford, and was grateful that Jarrod Bowen rose to the occasion instead and help deliver the three points.
“I didn’t really enjoy how we played, but I think Watford made it hard for us…” Moyes told the club’s official site after the match.
“I think Declan wasn’t Declan you know. And a few others were a bit like that as well. When we’ve been a bit down recently we’ve had Declan to rely on (but) Declan tonight, it wasn’t his night either.
“Early part of the season Micky Antonio was the goals. He was getting the goals and they were coming easy for him. He’s having a bit of a struggle at the moment to get himself a goal or get in a goalscoring position…
“So thankfully Jarrod is the one that’s stepping up at the moment and we’ve needed him.”
Rice remains a world class talent and recent transfer rumours are linking him strongly as a target for the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.