Former West Ham United boss Alan Curbishley says Gianfranco Zola is benefitting from the resurgence of Carlton Cole this season.

He told Sky Sports: "What suits West Ham with Ashton out is Cole playing down the middle on his own. He can do that and I played him as a lone frontman a lot last year.

"He brings people into the game, he's got great movement and they are passing it well now. People are looking like they want to join in and they're comfortable. I had Carlton Cole at Charlton and Paolo Di Canio was there at the time and we spoke about him.

"You could see that Carlton has got everything. He just needs to take one or two more of his chances because perhaps his finishing lets him down.

"But this year he's picked up his goals and he's got the confidence that he's leading the line. He's been given a run.

"Last year I found it difficult pairing him and Ashton together and played him a lot of times on his own when Dean was out. That suited him.

"Gianfranco's got a little bit of a problem when Dean gets back because he's a terrific player. The two of them perhaps are not compatible.

"But at the moment the system they're playing suits him."