West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has attempted to relieve pressure on the shoulders of young midfielder Ravel Morrison.

The 20-year-old attacker has made a big impression for the Hammers this season, scoring three and assisting twice in 14 Premier League appearances.

"The expectation becomes 'will it come every single week' and that can't really happen at such a young age," Allardyce told reporters. "It's nice if it does. We've got to manage the situation and just try and keep encouraging him.

"I think from our point of view, if he gets selected for Old Trafford on Saturday, that the real message from me to him would be to try and get a result as a team and play one of your top performances in a team situation when you would help to get us that result by using your abilities in a team performance."

The Hammers are 17th, ahead of today's game against Manchester United.