Julen Lopetegui expects West Ham’s latest signing Carlos Soler to take some time to adapt to the “rhythm” of the Premier League.

Although the performance at Craven Cottage wasn’t exactly what fans hoped for, it’s a very good point for West Ham away from home, at a stadium they got thrashed in last season.

Aside from the draw, there were some positives to take. Danny Ings is proving himself to actually be a viable option up top, Jarrod Bowen is as good as ever, and Carlos Soler made his debut off the bench.

Although he is someone the gaffer clearly desperately wanted, he has warned that there may be some teething issues for the midfielder. “There is a big difference,” Lopetegui said on the differences between England and the countries that Soler has played in before. “For me, the rhythm is the biggest difference. The physical demand and the style too. I always say the same.”

“The biggest difference about the rhythm is the referees. The referees in England, maybe it’s no foul, but in Spain it’s a yellow card. This changes the game, this changes the rhythm and we have to adapt. I like it, I like it a lot. But it’s true that we have to adapt and for the players it’s sometimes not easy to adapt to this pace or this rhythm, this demand.”

“They need time to understand what happens around them. That’s why we try to help them.”

Hopefully Soler can adapt sooner rather than later in order to provide the manager with a positive dilemma on how to set up the midfield.