West Ham legend Phil Parkes has praised Lukasz Fabianski for his brilliant performances for the club so far this season following his signing from Swansea last summer.
Parkes, one of the 1980 FA Cup winners with the Hammers, has been impressed with Fabianski's approach and insisted the stopper should remain the club's number one for some time.
He told the club's website: “Lukasz is 33, which is no age for a goalkeeper and he should be in his prime right now. For a goalkeeper, there’s no reason, apart from injuries, that you shouldn’t still be at the top of your form at 36, so Lukasz still has plenty of time on his side.
“One of the things I most like about Lukasz is that he comes for crosses, unlike a lot of modern-day goalkeepers. In fact, from what I’ve seen, not many keepers in the Premier League come off their line at all.
“He’s also keen to catch the ball when he can and again that’s different to a lot of keepers these days, who punch most of the time. In a way, that’s a bit old-fashioned but, for me, it’s much better if you are confident of your catching ability.
“I was really pleased when West Ham signed Lukasz because, although I didn’t see too much of him when he was at Arsenal, I watched him a lot at Swansea where he was outstanding."
The Hammers legend also indicated he would rather have Fabianski's calmness in goal than a more erratic stopper such as England and Everton number one Jordan Pickford.
He added: “What also impresses me about him is that he exudes that calmness, unlike someone like Pickford, who is buzzing around at a hundred miles an hour!
“Lukasz, on the other hand, never seems to get flustered and that’s important. As a goalkeeper, you need to have a calm head on your shoulders. If you start losing that control, that can quickly spread to the defenders in front of you – and then you’re in trouble.”
Source : 90min