Young West Ham United midfielder Diego Poyet says the players are thriving on a pre-season packed with friendly fixtures and the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Europa League.
And with another three matches in the next five days, he says there are plenty of opportunities for everyone in the squad to impress new manager Slaven Bilic.
West Ham travel to the Weston Homes Community Stadium to play Colchester United on Tuesday, then take a 1-0 lead to Malta for Thursday’s return leg of the Europa League second qualifying round against Birkirkara.
Another busy week ends on Saturday with a visit to Poyet’s former club Charlton Athletic, where the 20-year-old was voted the Addicks’ Player of the Year in the 2013/14 season.
Speaking after Saturday’s exciting 3-2 victory away to Southend United, the Uruguayan Under-20 international said the squad could not be happier.
“We love it,” he told whufc.com. “Every player wants to play games, so if you say to someone would you rather run for an hour four times a week or play games, I’m sure every player would rather play games, so we’re really happy and excited about that.
“I’ve personally played already three 90 minutes this pre-season and I’m loving it. This is probably the pre-season I’ve enjoyed the most. Everyone’s getting minutes, so it’s good for the whole team. Everyone’s sharp, the training’s sharp, we’re ready.”
Having come on as a substitute in the first leg against Birkirkara, Poyet is keen to make the trip to Malta, but accepts that squad rotation is also important at this stage of pre-season.
He continued: “Everyone wants to play. It’s a competitive game, it’s Europe, so everyone wants to be involved.
“But there are a lot of games from here to Arsenal where people will get the chance to try and impress and show the manager what they can do, so everyone wants to go but not everyone can, and I’m sure everyone understands that.
“We wanted to be a bit more comfortabey, but a win’s a win. We’ve got the 1-0 and we go over there confident that we can finish it off and win again, not go and play for the draw. We’ll go over there looking to win the game, and put in another good solid performance.”
Poyet says the entire squad is excited about the season that lies ahead, especially with this summer’s new signings showing the extra quality they will bring to the team, as Dimitri Payet did with his performance at Roots Hall.
“What a player”, Poyet said of his near-namesake. “Some of us had seen him play in the past, for others it was the first time. You can see what he can do. He’s a great addition to the team and I’m sure he’s going to create a lot of defensive chaos this year.
“It’s very exciting for everyone, and it’s the last season at the Boleyn Ground, so I’m sure it’s going to be a great season for us.”
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