The stand-out performance against Dag and Red FC that has everyone talking

West Ham got their pre-season off to a winning momentum by beating Dag and Red 1-0 at the Chigwell Construction Stadium. Coming on the back of scoring a last-minute 2-2 equaliser against Ferencvaros, a win before jetting off to the United States for the Sunshine State Tour was a must. In a game played between the two clubs every with over 4000 fans in attendance, most are saying the same thing about one player in particular.

The stand-out performance against Dag and Red FC that has everyone talking

Andy Irving scored the second-half goal to give the Hammers a 1-0 win at full time. The goal saw Irving latch on to a layoff by James Ward-Prowse, to curl the ball from outside the box and into the top corner.

His performance has posed the question - do Hammers really need to spend big to sign in a new midfielder? Midfield is an area of concern at West Ham with the Hammers selling Flynn Downes for £15 million and Edson Alvarez out with a hamstring injury. As a result, West Ham fans are beginning to speculate as to who they could sign for the role of a box-to-box midfielder.

Many are discussing the idea of signing someone like Scott McTominay who is likely to leave Manchester United this summer following the Red Devils pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte alongside having the likes of Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo in the squad. By signing McTominay the Hammers would be spending big for providing cover for Edson Alvarez. However, Irving's performance has everyone wondering if that is going to be needed.

Despite the match being a fairly meaningless friendly, Irving looked sharp and fans are excited about what is to come from the man signed from Austria Klagenfurt last season.

Speaking on his performances, Irving said,

""As I said, this is a huge opportunity for me I’m trying to grab with both hands. I’m getting massive experience learning from the gaffer and from the quality of player we have here""

- Andy Irving

Starring in the preseason with an assist on Aguerd's 2-2 equaliser against Ferencvaros and a goal against Dag and Red has tipped Andy Irving to be Hammers' star player next season.