Yeboah backs Ayew to achieve an improved campaign

Former Ghana striker Tony Yeboah has backed Andre Ayew to flourish with West Ham United in the upcoming Premier League season.

The 27-year-old joined the Hammers from Swansea City in a three-year deal last campaign but suffered an injury on his debut, limiting him to 25 games with six goals.

However, the former Leeds United star insists Ayew has the capabilities to underline his qualities in the Premier League.

"After your first season, everyone gets to know you more. You are no longer a surprise. Coaches know your strength, the opposing players read you better, they know what you do and what you don't so the second season tends to be more difficult," Yeboah told KweseESPN.

"But Andre has always proven he can deal with these things. He would be fired up to prove this season that the first season was no fluke and how last season went was not exactly reflective of him," he added.

Yeboah also believes that the impact of former African players on the Premier League have opened doors for the current generation but warns them to work hard to meet the increasing demands.

"I am glad that now Africans are gaining more and more acceptance in the Premier League.

"I think you can see that after what the likes of [Michael] Essien, [Didier] Drogba, [Nwankwo] Kanu and to an extent myself did in the league, it enhanced the reputation of African players and has opened up a lot more opportunities for players from the continent and I am particularly happy about that.

"In a way it is up to the present generation to keep that going. The increasing quality of the Premier League and its growing financial power means that the field is a lot more competitive than it has ever been.

"The Premier League is spending a lot more money on the best players in the world which means the African players there would have their work even more cut out now," he said.

The 2017-18 season has been scheduled to start on August 12 with Ayew's West Ham United travelling to Old Trafford to play Manchester United on August 13.