Dimitri Payet speaks out on his relationship with Slaven Bilic and reveals why he left West Ham

The Frenchman was sold to Marseille last January despite being the east London club's best player

Dimitri Payet says Slaven Bilic helped him settle quickly in England (Getty)

Dimitri Payet has described Slaven Bilic as a father figure during his time at West Ham but revealed that he left the Premier League outfit because he was worried about his place in the France national team.

The Hammers finished seventh in Payet’s debut season in east London when he was so often the catalyst for winning performances.

But since he fell out with Bilic before Christmas last season and made that subsequent return to Marseille, the club has been on the slide.

Speaking to So Foot magazine, Payet took time to praise his former manager - whose job now appears on the line - for helping him settle in England.

"Like a father. We talked to each other every day. He quickly understood how I functioned,” Payet said.

"That was seen in my adaptation [to life in the Premier League], which was very fast. He's a nervous man. He's a Croatian. He can scream. But he manages the players well."

Payet completed a £26m move to Marseille in January, a club he had left just 18 months earlier, and admitted he deliberately acted "like a d***head" in order to force the deal through.

The Ligue 1 side had been taken over by American billionaire Frank McCourt during that period and Payet hinted that the new money was one factor in his decision to leave but not the only one.

"There were several reasons, but the first one was sporting: West Ham's objectives were no longer the same from the season before, and I felt danger for my football and my place in the France national team," he said.

"There was a choice to make. On my return, I find a Marseille changed at all levels. I feel like it's not the same club. It's not the same management. Obviously, there is a new owner, but there are other aspects that resemble more a bigger club."