West Ham boss Moyes welcomes permanent mid-season break

West Ham United

West Ham United manager David Moyes has thrown his support behind a permanent mid-season break after seeing his players reap the rewards.

The Hammers were last in action on February 1 as they drew 3-3 with Brighton & Hove Albion at the London Stadium.

Moyes’ men were 3-1 up on that occasion, but they surrendered their lead and are now 18th in the table, two points from safety.

West Ham should have played last Sunday against Manchester City, but the damage caused by Storm Ciara saw the game postponed. That fixture has now been rearranged for Wednesday, February 19 and Moyes will be hoping the break can do his team a world of good.

Moyes, who used to coach Real Sociedad, experienced a regular break in LaLiga, while he also gave his West Ham team a break in 2018.

During his first spell in charge, Moyes took his players to Florida as they then went on to avoid the drop and the Scotsman believes he can see it work in his favour again.

He told Sky Sports: “We have to be careful in this country that we don’t introduce a break and then go back to not giving the players any time.

“Most clubs are trying to give the players some time off. We need to understand what the break is for. It’s mainly mentally for the players – and the managers.

“I took a lot of criticism, the last time I was here, for taking them to Miami. People thought it was wrong, but I felt it was 100 per cent right.”

Winger Andriy Yarmolenko could return from a thigh injury on Wednesday after returning to training earlier this month, as could Felipe Anderson after an abdominal injury.

Former Arsenal ace Jack Wilshere has yet to recover from his latest injury setback, with the ex-England international struggling with groin and hip problems.

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