Danny Murphy heaped praise on West Ham attacker Sebastien Haller after he scored twice in the 3-1 win over Watford.
The 25-year-old forward in a post-game interview shared he didn’t play well against the Hornets and Murphy pointed out if he doesn’t play well and still grabs two goals, then West Ham fans won’t be left disappointed.
The BBC pundit then drooled over Haller while analysing footage from the clash with Watford, and even claimed his attempt to score from a backheel was “Zlatan-esque”, which was his way of saying the player reminded him of Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
“West Ham fans won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t play well but still scores two every week,” said Murphy on BBC One’s Match of the Day (23:45, Saturday, August 24th).
“He got 20 goals last season, he’s got a good variety to his game, he’s got good agility there, Zlatan-esque, and fantastic improvisation there to try and score.
“Nice touch here, nice strength here to find himself in the area he should be, the six-yard-box, to have a nice easy tap-in.
“It was a very open game, a very enjoyable game actually and he could be a new hero for the West Ham fans, he seems to have that confidence, look at that (the overhead kick) you don’t expect that.”
OPINION
Murphy may have referred to Haller’s goal tally for Eintracht Frankfurt last season, but it’s clear the pundit wasn’t expecting the 25-year-old to be as good as he was for the Hammers on Saturday. Murphy pointed out how Haller caught him personally by surprised by attempting an overhead kick, which he ended up scoring from, and it seems the Hammers forward may have gained a new fan as a result. As for the pundit’s other remarks, it’s fair to say he is probably right to tip the 25-year-old to be a potential new hero for the Hammers. After losing 2018/19 top-scorer Marko Arnautovic in the summer, West Ham and its fans were crying out for a new prolific forward to replace him. Given that Haller scored twice despite only having four shots at goal, as per WhoScored, then he could easily fit the bill. While it’s early days in the 25-year-old’s Hammers career, it’s hard to not get excited.
