Former West Ham United striker Dean Ashton has hailed the Hammers for managing to keep hold of France midfielder Dimitri Payet entering the new Premier League campaign.
It had been thought that Payet, who scored 12 times in his debut season for West Ham, would be the subject of interest from the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona this summer off the back of an impressive Euro 2016.
The London club have thus far been able to resist interest in the 29-year-old, however, and former Hammers forward Ashton has hailed the club for standing firm.
"He was absolutely off the charts at the European Championships, I was never worried he was going to leave," he told Sky Sports News. "I think he liked the fact he's been treated like a hero at West Ham and he was thankful he did it himself, but West Ham gave him the platform to get him in to that France squad and do what he did."
West Ham will open their Premier League campaign away to Chelsea on Monday night.
Matt Law
