It has not been the start to the new season, and indeed the new era at the London Stadium, that West Ham fans would have expected back in August.

Slaven Bilic’s side sit 15th in the Premier League table after a much-needed 1-0 win at Crystal Palace last weekend, which was only their second victory of the season.

Prior to that, they had lost four in five, and had Dimitri Payet to thank for rescuing a point against Middlesbrough with a stunning solo goal.

Nevertheless, things might be looking up for the Hammers now, and Bilic’s side will go into their home game against bottom club Sunderland on Saturday looking for a second league win at the London Stadium.

Although it hasn’t been a great start to the season, there are a few Hammers players that have performed well over the past few seasons, even if they haven’t necessarily been rated by opposition fans.

Here are THREE underrated West Ham players…

Adrian

Although West Ham were rightly praised for their attacking ability last season, they were also pretty solid at the back, and had goalkeeper Adrian to thank at times for keeping them in games.

The 29-year-old joined the Hammers on a free in 2013 and, although he didn’t immediately get into the starting eleven, he nailed down the number one spot with a string of excellent performances.

A great shot-stopper and also a commanding presence in his box, Adrian has adapted well to English football, and is now a dependable choice between the sticks.

Although he maybe isn’t one of the best goalkeepers in the division, he is certainly better than some, and deserves a lot more credit than he currently gets.

Aaron Cresswell

Highly-rated by West Ham fans, yet some others still don’t see how good a player Aaron Cresswell is.

It’s a bit of a surprise that he didn’t get an opportunity with England last season, considering the injuries to Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw, as well as Cresswell’s consistently excellent displays for the Hammers.

The 26-year-old has proved what a miss he has been to West Ham this season.

After being ruled out for the opening seven matches, Cresswell started in their 1-0 win over Palace, and was hugely influential going forward (he set up the winner) and defensively before his very harsh red card.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the Hammers miss him against Sunderland, as he proved last weekend what an integral part of the West Ham backline he is.

Manuel Lanzini

The Hammers made a permanent move for Manuel Lanzini after his loan spell at the club last season, and it looks like they’ve acquired a decent player.

Although he was not overly prolific last season (he only netted seven times), it’s his energy and tireless work-rate which is hugely beneficial to the West Ham team, and largely goes unnoticed.

In a season where the Hammers have struggled for goals, they will want more from the 23-year-old, but his ability to find pockets of space means that more goals and assists will follow for the Argentine.