The London side brought in former Manchester City and Real Madrid coach Pellegrini to replace David Moyes in May as they push for a top-half finish following relegation battles in their last two campaigns.

“When I heard Manuel was coming, it was good, it was positive,” Zabaleta, who has worked with the Chilean for three years at City, told the London Standard.

“He is very experienced and has worked in big clubs. He can bring all of that experience to West Ham and that has to be really good for us.”

Zabaleta said that Pellegrini had also instilled a sense of discipline at the club.

“His training sessions are good while as a person he’s calm, a true gentleman. At the same time, he’s so demanding and that’s what you need to succeed, a winning mentality,” Zabaleta added.

West Ham are at Liverpool in their league opener on Sunday.