David Moyes gives his verdict on Ivan Toney's 'dark arts' after West Ham scouting mission

West Ham boss David Moyes has praised Brentford striker Ivan Toney, saying his footballing talent far outweighs any controversial tactics he might use. Toney, who recently returned from an eight-month betting ban, has already scored four goals in six games.

He caused a stir in his first match back by moving the ball and the referee's foam before scoring a free-kick against Nottingham Forest. But Moyes said: «I think he's someone who's always thinking about the football, considering the moments.»

He added: «He's got an awful lot of good things as a footballer. Obviously there's a coolness about in his finishing and how he plays, and he's got a physical element to him. But also, importantly, he's got a really intelligent football brain at times.»

Moyes also commented on Toney's foam-moving incident, saying: «When he moves the foam, whether that was intelligent, or a bit of whatever you want to call it, you'd have been annoyed if it happened to you.»

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West Ham are currently on an eight-match run without a win and need to beat Brentford, a team they've lost to in all five Premier League meetings. Moyes praised Brentford, saying: «They can play, they can be direct, they're an exceptional team at set-pieces.»

«I think they maximise a lot of their players. They've got a structure of what type of players they want to bring in and what they expect.»

«They probably don't have the budget other teams have but they go out looking for the types of players who fit their model. To be fair they've done it really well for several seasons now.»