Rice's departure left huge shoes to fill, but I know I can be this team's talisman

NEXT week marks a decade since Jarrod Bowen’s debut for non-League Hereford Town, and the forward’s inspiring rise to the top of the English game would probably not have been possible without David Moyes.

- Dan Kilpatrick

The West Ham boss plucked Bowen from the Championship four years ago and has turned the 27-year-old into an England international — likely to be included in Gareth Southgate’s squad today — and one of the Premier League’s leading marksmen.

As the Hammers prepare for another big European night under Moyes, Bowen is bemused by criticism of his manager, who is permanently a poor result or two away from fresh speculation over his future and grumbles from sections of the fanbase.

“There’s always going to be people you can’t please, people who think they want this or that,” Bowen told Standard Sport ahead of this evening’s Europa League last-16 decider against Freiburg at the London Stadium.

“I can only speak for when I’ve been here. When I arrived (from Hull), we were in a relegation battle. We stayed up and the following two years we finished sixth and seventh.

“Okay, last year we finished poorly in the Premier League, but we won a European trophy, so no one will remember the league position. This year, we’re in the mix for European places again and a win away from a European quarter-final. You can’t please everyone — and if you try, you’ll be trying for a very long time. But I think what we’ve achieved in the four years, you cannot argue with it. I don’t see how anyone can see it any differently.”