Moyes has changed the mood at West Ham United - Masuaku

Arthur Masuaku has praised David Moyes for changing the mood and confidence at West Ham United since his return in December.

The former Everton and Manchester United manager returned to the helm at London Stadium after Manuel Pellegrini was sacked following a 2-1 loss to Leicester City in December.

Moyes' reappointment has seen the Hammers secure back-to-back wins in their last two outings, including a 2-0 win over Gillingham in an FA Cup game.

Masuaku played under the 56-year-old during his first stint at West Ham and he has disclosed how his return has had an instant impact on the team.

“He has changed things a little bit tactically, but not too much It’s been more the mood and confidence that have changed since he came," Masuaku told Premier League Productions.

"He arrived and literally said ‘If you don’t work, you’re not going to play’ and I think everything is very clear now.

“We saw against Bournemouth the way everybody played; everybody was at it and everybody was pressing and that’s what he wants and what the fans want. We won the game and the [FA Cup third round] game against Gillingham, so that’s good.

“For most of us, it’s all about confidence because, in football, when you don’t have confidence, you are not the same player, and that’s what he tries to give you, so you can enjoy it on the pitch.

“His messages are either speaking to the individual or to the team, telling us to be brave. He wants us to play football, obviously, but also to be hard to beat and not to concede easy goals. When everybody is at it, we are a good team.”

West Ham scored six goals in their last two games without conceding but the 26-year-old demands more hard work from his teammates. 

Moyes' side, placed 16th in the Premier League table, are two points off the relegation zone. They visit Sheffield United for Friday's Premier League fixture.

“We are not safe but if we keep playing like we did against Bournemouth, there is no way we are going to go down because, with the squad we have got, we need to aim for big targets and clearly if we win on Friday, that would be massive," he added.

“We just need to take it each game at a time and be hard to beat in all the games, like I said.”