Premier League: West Ham midfielders Tomas Soucek, Declan Rice earn plaudits from boss David Moyes

In his second spell as West Ham United manager, David Moyes has turned the fortunes of the London club. West Ham impressed many with their ability to pull off positive results and after 29 matches this season, the team sits at fifth position on the table, just two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea and have got a realistic chance to play in Europe next season.

Two players have played a significant role in West Ham's improved form this season. The boss praised midfielders Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice for their contributions this season and added that both the players can make further improvements.

"They've both been fantastic, you know they’ve both got different attributes, if you look at them they’re both very young and going to get better and improve as time goes on a swell, they’re both gaining great leadership qualities as well," Moyes told Star Sports Select.

"Tomas Soucek was captain of Slavia Prague before he came here, we’ve seen how well they have done this week when they beat Leicester City in the Europa League. Declan Rice is already captaining West Ham when Mark Noble's not there and been there in the England team.

"I think we’ve got two really good and exciting young midfield players who are doing really good jobs and both capable of playing in defensive roles if need be or of playing in more attacking roles, we've seen the goals from Tomas Soucek and the truth is that Declan Rice has got that in his locker as well if we can get him up a bit further up the field at times so you know we’re glad to him them both and hopefully they both continue to develop."

In their previous match, West Ham took a three-goal lead against Arsenal in the first-half but ended up conceding three times. The game ended 3-3 and Moyes was left frustrated. After the international break, West Ham will resume their campaign with an away game against Wolves followed by a match against Leicester City at home. They took only four points from their last four matches so consistency will be the key for Moyes if his teams is serious about wanting to play in Europe next season.