Ryan Fredericks heaped praise on West Ham United stopper Roberto after he made his Premier League debut in the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth on Saturday.
The Spaniard was introduced at the Vitality Stadium after Lukasz Fabianski was forced off the field with a hip injury, and made numerous saves to secure the point and extend their unbeaten run in the league to six games.
Fredericks was particularly impressed with the way the experienced goalkeeper commanded his area in the game, and that the Hammers’ squad are confident with him behind them for as long as Fabianski is sidelined for.
“He commanded the box well and made a couple of decent saves,” he told the official club website.
“We’ve got more than enough confidence in him, we see it in training every day. He’s a mountain of a man, commanding the box well. He’s loud and has more than enough experience to take it into the next few games if that’s the case.”
“It’s good to have a goalkeeper who’s loud and commanding as it keeps you on your toes and instils confidence in the back four, which is good.”
“He’s a big lad. He’s a nice guy and a good goalkeeper, most importantly.”
OPINION
Roberto definitely had a good game on the South coast against Bournemouth, but Fredericks must have missed his performance in the Carabao Cup only days before that. After the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Oxford in that game, Manuel Pellegrini unsurprisingly reverted back to his Premier League starting XI, a decision that would have left Roberto wondering when his next taste of action would be. The injury to Fabianski in the first-half meant that he was thrown straight back into the mix, and he made a couple of vital saves to ensure a point for the Hammers. The more game time he gets under his belt, the more confidence he will gather and Fredericks is clearly hoping his positive words will help give his keeper the boost he needs to continue that form. Roberto made three saves to make sure his side went back to East London with a point, and he must continue being as commanding as possible to help his back four when they are under pressure in games. His performance against the Cherries made the Oxford nightmare a distant memory, and he must keep it that way should he be needed for an extended period.
