As West Ham United prepare for a Premier League clash with Manchester United on Sunday, Pablo Fornals has called on his teammates to be courageous at Old Trafford.
The Hammers won one of two meetings at Manchester United last season - as Manuel Lanzini and Marcus Rashford netted winners - although the Londoners have not recorded a Premier League victory at Old Trafford since May 2007.
But there are reasons to be positive as the Irons head to Manchester. David Moyes' men have shown they can compete against anyone this season, battling well against a hatful of sides vying for European football.
The Irons might have drawn at Chelsea when Maxwel Cornet's effort was ruled out by VAR in stoppage time, while performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool certainly deserved more than a point from two fixtures.
And Fornals believes the Hammers, who have won six straight matches at London Stadium, must take the game to their opponents and transfer that home form to Manchester.
"We have to [perform] the same as we were in Liverpool,” explained Fornals, who netted the winner in the Hammers' first Premier League win of the season at Villa Park.
“We were probably better in the second half than the first, but we challenged them and created chances. We're going there to challenge Manchester United too. We did that against Tottenham and got a draw and also against Chelsea, where we should have got a [point].
“I know [Manchester United] are doing very well and are also creating their own style - but we want to be where they are right now and facing them will help that."
It is possible the Irons will be surprised by how much possession they get at Old Trafford, just as they were against Liverpool in the second half, although Fornals explains the way the Hammers are setting up this season is different to their approach in previous years.
"I don't think we're playing like we played before,” the No8 stated. “Our football has improved a lot. We’ve stepped up and showed we can have the ball too. We see a lot more of the ball than we did in the past.
“I think it's to do with the players we have signed, they have a lot of quality and maybe we just have to evolve into a better team with them here.
"Everyone needed to settle in at the start of the season, there were the new players, the new style, a lot of small things that affected us from winning games and performing as well as we should."
