West Ham United assistant manager Neil McDonald has insisted that Nicky Maynard will not leave the club and that he is "important" to the side.

Maynard joined the Hammers in the January transfer window but has found it difficult to hold down a place in the starting lineup, with Carlton Cole and Ricardo Vaz Te the preferred front two.

The former Bristol City striker has been linked with a move away from Upton Park, but McDonald isn't expecting the 25-year-old to be going anywhere.

"He is involved all the time, he is on the bench. Nothing that I have heard [suggests he won't be here this time next week]," said McDonald.

"He is an important member of the squad and he has put in a good performance today and given the manager something to think about, that's for sure."

Maynard scored the opener in West Ham's 2-0 Capital One Cup victory over Crewe Alexandria.