West Ham Forward Hails Pellegrini as 'One of the Best' After Forcing His Way Into First Team

West Ham United forward Robert Snodgrass has hailed manager Manuel Pellegrini as 'one of the best managers' after the Chilean selected him due to his impressive performances in training.

Snodgrass had seemed to be nearing an exit from the London Stadium when Pellegrini took over after having been loaned out to Aston Villa the previous season, but his displays in training convinced the 64-year-old to select the Scotsman, according to Football London.

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The forward's training ethic and performances on the pitch have now placed him above summer signing Andriy Yarmolenko in the pecking order. Speaking to the Herald, Snodgrass was full of praise for his new manager. 

The 31-year-old said: "I’m working with one of the best managers. He’s won the Premier League and managed in La Liga and I can only learn from people like that. He’s been great with me, he’s always talking to me. That was the case from the off.

"I feel as though this is it starting because under Bilic, there wasn’t a lot of communication and it was difficult. I wasn’t really playing in the right position, where he signed me for."

Snodgrass added: "But he was always a good guy, he was always nice as were all his staff, even when I left to go to Aston Villa they were always good with me. So I always had that soft spot and always wanted to go back and do well. That’s all I’ve wanted to do wherever I’ve been."