West Ham welcomed James Ward-Prowse back to the London Stadium against Brentford on Saturday.

The 30-year-old spent the first half of the campaign with high-flying Nottingham Forest but was recalled late on in the winter transfer window.

The midfielder made his return to the Hammers side as a half-time substitute as Graham Potter made a triple change during the interval of the 1-0 defeat.

After what had been a poor first-half showing from the Irons, it is safe to say that the Englishman had a positive impact despite not being able to change the result.

Martin Allen slams West Ham for letting James Ward-Prowse go

Kevin Schade opened the scoring with just four minutes on the clock at the London Stadium after some unorthodox goalkeeping from Alphonse Areola.

This set the tempo for the opening 45 minutes where the home side never truly got a hold of the game which allowed the Bees to thrive.

Former Hammers midfielder Martin Allen was far more complimentary of the second-half showing which could come down to the introduction of Ward-Prowse.

Speaking exclusively to West Ham Zone, Allen said: “I thought he could have been introduced halfway through the first half.

“Soucek put in one bad tackle which he didn’t get a card for but soon after did get a yellow card for. He looked short of pace, short of mobility and Ward-Prowse came on and livened up the game.

“He looked more mobile, more dynamic and whoever made the decision to let him go in the summer must be absolutely bonkers.

“He’s a good person for the dressing room, is a top professional and you don’t let those players go.

“Similarly to Mark Noble a few years ago, he wasn’t playing every week but he had an important part to play to make sure everyone in the squad was in the right place mentally, Ward-Prowse will do a similar job.“

There is no doubt that the performance of the E20 side improved when the former England international made his way onto the pitch.

After being shipped out by Julen Lopetegui earlier in the window, Ward-Prowse proved exactly why he deserved to remain as part of the squad.

His ability from set-pieces combines well with his industrious nature which will certainly make him an asset under Potter moving forward.

The comparison to Noble is certainly a massive compliment and if he can come even close to his achievements in East London, the ex-Southampton man will have certainly proved many people wrong.