David Di Michele has welcomed the appointment of fellow Italian Gianfranco Zola as new West Ham manager.

"For me, it is very important to find a figure like Zola here, both because of the language we speak and his long experience here in England," said Di Michele. "He left a great memory, is a real person and this is greatly appreciated.

"I look forward to begin working with Zola. The climate? Here it is much more serene, there are no fans at training and I'm working calmly preparing for the weekend."