West Ham boss David Moyes is delighted with the form of Tomas Soucek and Kurt Zouma.
Moyes named Zouma new club captain this season after the retirement of Mark Noble.
He said, "Kurt has started the season really well. I think he's thriving as captain and he's learned from some mistakes in football and life as well, and I think he's a better human being for it. He's doing a great job so far this season.
"Tomas has also done great for us this year. He's been an important player and, over the last couple of years, he's been a great team player. He's a brilliant boy and I'm glad he's getting his rewards with his goals.
"He's playing a bit higher up the pitch now and seems to be enjoying that role."
On Sunday's opponents Aston Villa, he also stated: "Aston Villa are doing brilliantly well. The manager is doing a brilliant job and they're building a strong team. They're in a really strong place and it's a tough game for sure. Aston Villa will certainly not be an easy game.
"I thought they were really good last year. They reached the Uefa Europa Conference League, which was a great achievement for them. When you're finishing around sixth or seventh, you can see what the club is, and they've got some good stability and they're doing a lot of good things at the moment.
"I played against a Unai Emery team when I was at Real Sociedad and he's won so many incredible trophies. It looks like he's got the team at Aston Villa playing so well. The recruitment is very solid."
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