Konstantinos Mavropanos is confident he can cap off a recent strong run in the West Ham United side by helping deliver a return to winning ways away at Manchester United this afternoon.
The Hammers are set to face off against Erik ten Hag’s Red Devils at 2pm, searching for a first victory in four games that would widen the gap between the teams to four points in the Premier League standings.
Greece international Mavropanos started a run of five consecutive top-flight appearances with a 2-0 win over Manchester United on 23 December, and a similar result this time around would stretch West Ham’s unbeaten league run to seven games.
“Playing Manchester United away from home is always a huge challenge, but it’s a game that’s not difficult to get excited about,” said the 26-year-old, who featured for the full 90 minutes of Thursday night’s 1-1 draw at home to AFC Bournemouth.
“We did really well when we played them before Christmas. We defended really well and were clinical when we had opportunities in attack, and we’ll be looking to produce a similar performance again at Old Trafford.
“When you play the same team twice in a short period of time you can try and have a plan, but every game is different. We know it’s going to be tough, but we believe in ourselves and we’re looking forward to it.”
Fixtures against Manchester United will always harbour special significance for Mavropanos, who made his Premier League debut against the 20-time English champions for Arsenal in April 2018.
The Athens native left the Gunners permanently in May 2022, signing for VfB Stuttgart after appearing just eight times in all competitions, but he insists that a return to the English top-flight remained firmly on his mind ahead of his summer arrival at West Ham.
He said: “I’ll always remember that first match against Manchester United. We lost the game, so it was disappointing from a team perspective, but it was a huge moment for me personally.
“I was quite young when I was at Arsenal, and at first it was a big change going from playing in Greece to suddenly being at such a big club in the Premier League. I experienced a lot in a short space of time, and it helped me focus on what I wanted to achieve.
“I enjoyed my time in Germany, but for sure in my mind I always wanted to come back to the Premier League one day. When the opportunity to come to West Ham came up, I jumped at it, and I’ve loved my time here so far.
“I’ve had to be patient for my chance, but that’s normal when you join a new team. Hopefully the manager will continue to call on me, and I’ll do my best in every game I play.”
While the Manchester United clash is Mavropanos’ immediate priority, he believes the return of key players - such as Mohammed Kudus and Edson Álvarez - as well as the January capture of Kalvin Phillips, continues to provide the squad with a big boost heading into the business end of the campaign.
He added: “The whole squad is strong, and it’s really enjoyable to work with the other players every day in training and also out in the matches.
“Players are coming back, so there’s competition for places, but that’s healthy and we can all help each other improve. Being around the likes of Kurt [Zouma] and Nayef [Aguerd] is good for me, and good for the team also.
“My individual goal is to play as much as possible, in the Premier League and in the UEFA Europa League. The collective aim is to keep pushing on all fronts, and I think we can achieve big things together.”
