West Ham No2 Julian Dicks rates Dimitri Payet ahead of former teammate Paolo Di Canio.
According to many West Ham fans, only Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Trevor Brooking rank above Di Canio as the best players in the history of the club.
But Dicks told Daily Star: “There are similarities. But with Dimitri, he has all the ability in the world but his work rate is fantastic. You have fantastic players and you let them get on with it.
“But he's running back to defend in the 90th minute. It rubs off. You take your team-mates with you. He's very calm on the ball. Many people can see a pass but very few can execute it."
He continued: “You should see what he does in training. He's frightening at times. I've played with players who are great at training and s*** in games. He's great at both. It's rare."