Dimitri Payet is a flawed individual, he will never fulfil his potential, says West Ham's David Sullivan

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has branded Dimitri Payet "a flawed individual" who will never fulfil his potential or be signed by "big clubs."

Payet joined a stellar debut season with West Ham but demanded to be sold halfway through his second campaign after being disillusioned with the club's fight against relegation.

A January move back to Marseille for £25million was agreed after Payet refused to play for the Hammers, with Sullivan then going public with his preference to have "made an example of him."

Six months on and Sullivan has reiterated his stance but says Slaven Bilic's insistence that Payet be removed led to the sale, and says the player's behaviour has held him back throughout his career.

“We knew Dimitri was flawed, and that’s why we got him for £10.5million,” Sullivan told talkSPORT. "It was a fantastic buy, but we knew we bought a flawed individual and someone who could well go on strike – he had done it all before.

“That’s why he never reached his full potential as a player and why big clubs have steered clear of him. But, I’ve got to say he was a fantastic servant for the club. He gave us 18 wonderful months, particularly the first 12 months.

“We didn’t want to sell him but we got around two and half times what we paid for him and you’ve got to say it’s good business. It’s not what we wanted but, as a club like West Ham, sometimes we have to sell.

“We wouldn’t have sold him unless we had to. We had meeting after meeting with him - he wanted out and the manager wanted him out. He didn’t want to have an unhappy camp.

“Personally, I would have made him stick it out for six months and given him a hard time, but if the manger says he’s unsettling the whole camp, you’ve got to support the manager.”