Karren Brady has labelled Dimitri Payet a “dead loss” – another blow after his Marseilles lost 1-0 to Metz.

Writing in her SunSport column, the baroness said: “Dimitri Payet would have become a legend to every Hammers supporter. But he’s a dead loss instead.”

A ‘dead loss’ is actually a business term, referring to a situation that produces no profit. However, it has a double meaning when referred to a person, suggesting they are completely useless.

“It would be unfair to say he hasn’t been trying this season but the manager knew in the weeks before Christmas that his heart wasn’t in it,” she said.

“Once Slaven Bilic realised the damage Payet was inflicting to morale, we did the only thing that made sense. We sold him for as much as we could, to the only club who wanted to buy him.”

She added that, apart from treating him as a “naughty schoolboy”, selling was the only sensible course of action left open to the Hammers.

After making his second debut for Marseille against Lyon, the Frenchman returned to Ligue 1 action as a second-half substitute in l’OM’s shock 1-0 defeat to Metz.

Yann Jouffre scored the only goal of a scrappy game eight minutes before full-time after goalkeeper Yohanne Pele failed to keep out his 20-yard free-kick.

Payet came on in the 55th minute and thought he had set up Bafetimbi Gomis two minutes later after his free-kick was flicked on by the on-loan Swansea striker, but he was correctly ruled offside.