West Ham United boss David Moyes has lavished praise on Joao Mario following the attacker’s performance against Southampton at the weekend.

Mario joined West Ham on loan from Inter Milan during the January transfer window, and has largely struggled to settle in the Premier League.

The Portugal international scored his first goal for the Hammers on Saturday afternoon, however, in the club’s hugely important 3-0 win over Southampton.

Moyes has claimed that the 25-year-old enjoyed his best game for the London outfit against the Saints, with the attacker hailed for his ‘flair’ and ‘natural talent’.

Moyes told West Ham’s official website:

“I think Joao Mario had probably his best game for us on Saturday: he got us a really good goal, he got us the assist for the second one, so that pleased me overall.”

“You hope the environment helped him settle. Again, it’s not an easy thing to come into the Premier League and do something, but he’s played quite a few games and that’s helped him as well.

“He brings a little bit of flair, he’s good on the ball, and a bit of natural talent. What goes unnoticed is that he’s actually a really hard-working boy as well.”

Mario, who is wanted by the West Ham fans on a permanent deal, managed five assists in 14 Serie A appearances for Inter before making the switch to the London Stadium at the midpoint of the campaign.

West Ham will look to build on their three-goal success over Southampton when they travel to Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend.