TV pundit Jamie Carragher believes he may have been too quick to dismiss West Ham’s chances of finishing in the top six this season.

The Hammers currently sit eighth in the table after five games played, and when asked about the London club’s start, Carragher replied he hadn’t really considered Manuel Pellegrini’s side as contenders, even though they have a really good squad of players:

When you actually see the names, you sort of forget…you look at signings, you think of Haller. £45million on a striker, big money, he’s had a great start. You look at someone like Felipe Anderson – I think he can play for one of the top four teams in the Champions League, he’s a really good player.

“Yarmolenko, didn’t play much last year, Lanzini, these are real quality players. They’ve got a really good goalkeeper in Fabianski, and there’s no doubt, I think they will have the ambitions within the club. I have been impressed with them.”

Consistency will be key for this West Ham side. They were erratic, to say the least, last campaign and while the 5-0 defeat against Manchester City on the opening day may have suggested this season would be more of the same, recent performances have indicated there has been improvement.

It is too early to say whether this consistency will last but it must be said that the defence is looking far more solid this campaign. They held on with ten men against Aston Villa and looked pretty comfortable. They will be hoping to build on their momentum when they face Manchester United this weekend.