Tomas Soucek has been one of, if not the most important player at West Ham over the past five years or so. But with just over a year left on his contract, and rumours of him potentially leaving this summer, West Ham need to start thinking ahead.

Troy Denney named Soucek in his BBC team of the week as his goal gave the Hammers the lead at Old Trafford, before going on to help his side win 2-0 against Manchester United. However, he warned the Hammers that they need to find a way of playing without relying on him and Jarrod Bowen.

The former Watford captain said: “Sometimes you watch games and guys just stand out on the pitch.”

“Whenever you watch West Ham, Soucek is one of those guys who stands out. He has a solid defensive framework. He heads it, kicks it, tackles. Offensively, he’s a threat as well.

“He’s a really important player for them, and they’re going to have to think of a way of moving on from him at some point because he and Jarrod Bowen keep stepping up for West Ham.”

Soucek has been linked with a move away from the club this summer, with a link-up with former gaffer David Moyes at Everton looking likely. Newly promoted Leeds United are also said to have a firm interest in the Czech Republic International.

While Soucek doesn’t fit the style of play under Graham Potter and is the reason he may be made available for transfer this summer, to get rid of a player as clutch as Soucek for a cut-price fee would be stupid.

Rumours of Soucek joining a Premier League rival for a fee of £15m would be awful business, and he shouldn’t be sold this summer. But Deeney is right, we do need to start planning for life without the Czech captain and stop relying on him to dig us out of holes.