West Ham have proved they won't 'sink' after Dimitri Payet exit, says Slaven Bilic

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Sam Long6 February 2017

West Ham have proved that they will not "sink" following Dimitri Payet's January move to Marseille, according to Slaven Bilic.

Payet went on strike in an effort to force a move to the Ligue 1 club and eventually got his wish, with the Hammers securing £25million for the 29-year-old's services.

The Frenchman established himself as West Ham's key player last term and his surprise exit was tipped to have significant repercussions for Bilic's side.

But the Hammers have responded with several promising displays, culminating in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Southampton.

And Bilic is proud of the manner in which his players have proved their worth after Payet's departure: “It is the team who have responded to that,” he told West Ham's official website.

“We lost a great player, but these things happen in football. The team have reacted in the best possible way.

“The boys have shown in those difficult situations that we aren’t going to sink, we’re not going to crumble.

"We had to take more responsibility as an individual and as a team, and that’s happened,” he added.

West Ham's latest victory helped the east Londoners climb to ninth place in the Premier League table.

Bilic's side face West Brom, Watford and Chelsea in their next three games with a respectable finish within their grasp, despite a poor start to the campaign.

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