Bilic: Payet can be West Ham's Silva
Dimitri Payet can follow in the footsteps of Manchester City counterpart David Silva, according to West Ham boss Slaven Bilic.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has backed recruit Dimitri Payet to emulate Manchester City star David Silva.
Payet has been a revelation since swapping Marseille for West Ham in the off-season, scoring twice as the Londoners made light work of Newcastle United on Monday.
The Frenchman has scored three goals in five Premier League matches and Bilic believes the 28-year-old can become just as influential as Silva in England's top flight.
"Payet has quality, because he's already done it in a top league under extreme pressure with a top club at Marseille," said Bilic ahead of Saturday's trip to league-leading City.
"City's are top-quality players - I think he [Payet] has that type of quality. I mean, you can't have more quality than he's got.
"So there's no reason why that should change. He has quality and he must show it week-in, week-out.
"The difference between Payet and Silva, if we are talking about the Premier League, is that Silva has been doing it here for four years now - while Payet has done it for five games.
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"Payet has to do it on a longer scale, which I think he will. He's definitely got the capacity to that.
"If he stays calm and motivated which is also part of our job, and he doesn't get carried away by the headlines he is making, then he will get to that same level as Silva."