Neil McDonald backs Modibo Maiga to impress

West Ham United assistant manager Neil McDonald has backed Modibo Maiga to enjoy a successful second season with the club.

The 25-year-old arrived from Sochaux last summer, but scored just twice during a difficult campaign with the Hammers.

However, the Mali international has impressed in pre-season, scoring a double in Saturday's 3-0 victory over Eintracht Braunschweig.

"Modibo is in the team to score goals and interlink and that side of his game was much better than it has been," he told the club's official website.

"He was running in behind and causing problems, which is great to see as it stretches teams. It was a huge improvement on the last few games we've played.

"Modibo's ability is there as we paid a fair bit of money for him. When you sign new players sometimes they take a bit longer to settle into the team. He's got one hell of a chance to start the season."

Andy Carroll is expected to miss the start of the season with an ankle injury.