‘He’s a human being’ - West Ham stand behind Kalvin Phillips after middle finger incident as David Moyes calls on ‘support’ for midfielder following catastrophic Newcastle display

The Manchester City loanee became embroiled in controversy after West Ham's 4-3 defeat against Newcastle United on Saturday, as he flashed his middle towards his own fans amid heavy criticism for his role in the defeat. The England international gesture will have further aggravated the fans' anger, but manager David Moyes has come to his defence and called on support for the struggling midfielder.

The former Manchester United and Everton manager has urged the club fans to back the midfielder during a difficult phase of his career and kept his faith in the player as he believes he will deliver for the team in the coming days. Phillips came on with the scores at 3-1 to the Hammers on Saturday, but soon after gave away penalty which sparked a dramatic Newcastle comeback.

Speaking to reporters, Moyes said: "Kalvin’s a human being and what he needs is support and people to help him, which is what we’ll do. We need our fans to give all our players the support they require. Kalvin’s a really good player and I do believe we can still make something out of the time we’ve got with him here."

The Hammers are unlikely to retain the 28-year-old's services beyond the six-month loan spell as he is all set to return to Etihad ahead of the 2024/25 season. He will be next in action for Moyes' side on Tuesday as they take on Tottenham in a Premier League clash.