West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini has likened youngster Grady Diangana to Arsenal hero Santi Cazorla.

Pellegrini worked with Cazorla at Villarreal, where the midfielder has returned this season.

The Hammers manager said, “I have worked with so many young players, but when I arrived at Villarreal I was very impressed with Santi Cazorla. He was 19 years old and was not in the first squad, he was with the Under-21s and in that moment he maybe wasn't considered a top player.

“But when I saw him play I think that he was, maybe not exactly the same as Diangana, but a technical player with a good view of the pitch and with a good solution when they receive the ball."

Pellegrini added: “I trust in him because for me one of the most important thing for me as a player is that when you have the ball, you give the ball to a player in the same colour shirt.

“That is the basic thing for a player and Diangana always starts with that, he loses very few balls during the game. Every player, when you receive the ball has different solutions, bad or good, he always has the best solution.

“I think that in this season he will be a player in the first squad playing a lot of games."