Incoming Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, won the Championship last season with Leicester (Image: GETTY)
Former West Ham star Robert Snodgrass has hailed Enzo Maresca as a football "mastermind". Snodgrass worked closely with Maresca during his brief stint at the London Stadium, where the Italian was part of Manuel Pellegrini's coaching team.
Maresca, who helped Leicester City secure promotion to the Premier League last month, was well-liked among the players for his unique coaching style and was even entrusted by Pellegrini to devise the tactics for several matches.
Last year, Snodgrass, 36, praised Maresca and predicted that he would reach the pinnacle of the sport. Now, Maresca is on the brink of achieving this, with his appointment as Chelsea manager expected to be announced on Monday (June 3), reports Football London.
Speaking to the Daily Record, the former Scotland international said: "What I loved about him at West Ham was he took the time to work with players and improve them. He'll identify areas in certain players' game, work on it, make them better and that in turn will help the team. He will educate those lads on a different style, a different process.
"He'll go to the very top. We all used to talk about it at West Ham. The players had no doubt he would develop into one of the best coaches around. When I think of what I learned from him, he really opened up my mind."
Robert Snodgrass was full praise for Enzo Maresca after working with him at West Ham (Image: Getty)
The Scotsman retired from the beautiful game in January this year, but he fondly recalls his time at West Ham where Maresca left a lasting impression on him.
"Enzo is a massive advocate of positional play," he said, reflecting on the influence Maresca had on his tactical awareness.
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Enzo Maresca worked under Manuel Pellegrini at the London Stadium (Image: Getty Images)
"He was the first coach who, tactically, made me think about different positions on the pitch. He's big on overloads and how to create space. Remember, at West Ham it was right at the start of his coaching journey but he was a mastermind."
The former player didn't hold back his praise for Maresca's coaching prowess, adding: "When I first listened to him, I knew straight away he would be a success. His attention to detail when it comes to football is second to none. He's a student of the game."
Snodgrass spent four seasons at West Ham, joining the club from Hull City in 2017. He racked up 86 appearances for the Hammers, bagging 11 goals.
