Valon Behrami is being tipped to be a hit with the West Ham United fans by his manager Alan Curbishley.
The 23-year-old, who was on international duty with Switzerland this week, turned in an impressive Barclays Premier League debut last week in the home win against Wigan Athletic and the manager is expecting more of the same at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. "He is the sort of player who is going to love every minute. He loves every minute of training. He is going to love every minute of the games."
Curbishley added: "He has shown his versatility already for us. He has played right-back, he went to wide right on Saturday and he can play midfield." Behrami's dedication was shown by the way he threw himself straight into the club's pre-season programme as soon as he arrived. The manager added: "He has got the attributes for the Premier League and I think he is one player that will enjoy the full on 90 minutes."
The manager added that he expects even more from his £5m recruit from Lazio "once he gets his feet under the table". Summing up, he said: "He has got what the West Ham fans want. He is all action. He is 150 per cent in everything he does. He is one of those players that is very attack-minded and plays with a bit of freedom. [As] someone who wants to get past [Julien] Faubert when he is in full flight, he must fancy his chances because his mileage is unbelievable."
While the manager is more than content with his big-money summer signing, he added that he is still "looking to add" to his squad. He is also relishing the chance to promote more youngsters from the academy - such as 18-year-old England youth starlet Jordan Spence, who was on the bench on opening day - with the increased number of potential replacements allowed. Curbishley said: "It is giving one or two of the youngsters an opportunity ... perhaps some more will get a taste of it."