Guido Rodríguez says there is much more to come from him as he works his way towards optimal match-fitness.
The Argentina international made his West Ham United debut in Saturday’s Premier League fixture with Aston Villa, just eleven days after completing his move to east London from Spanish side Real Betis.
Despite being part of Julen Lopetegui’s squad for less than a fortnight, the defensive midfielder was quickly up to speed, making a number of important tackles and interceptions, and completing 87% of his passes during his 85 minutes on the pitch at London Stadium.
Rodríguez himself relished the opportunity to pull on a West Ham shirt for the first time, albeit in what was ultimately a losing cause, and hailed the energy provided by the Claret and Blue Army from the stands.
“It was good, it was a nice experience to debut in the Premier League,” he told West Ham TV. “It was a shame that we couldn’t win or at least get a point from the last play of the game [when Tomáš Souček twice went close in the final seconds]. We have to keep working as this has only just begun, and there are plenty more games to put things right.
“It was a game in which could have gone our way. We have to keep working, put this behind us and keep looking forward.
“It was a really good experience. I really liked the atmosphere that the fans created, they gave us a lot of energy during many moments that we needed it and we ask them to trust us that we will continue to work hard to achieve things.”
The No24 was back at Rush Green on Monday morning, working with his teammates to improve their understanding, and on improving his own fitness levels ahead of his first experience of a London derby at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon.
The Hammers will seek to earn their first Premier League points of 2024/25 at Selhurst Park against an Eagles side who finished last season strongly, but were also beaten 2-1 on the opening weekend, in their case away at Brentford.
He may have been here just a short time, but Rodríguez already knows the importance of getting off the mark, and doing so against local rivals who got the better of the Hammers in south London last season.
“In the little time I’ve spent training with the team I’ve been trying to get back to 100 per cent physically,” he explained. “I believe I was able to hold my own during the match for 80 or so minutes, so I’m happy about that.
“We have a very important match next week. We are going to go for it from the very first moment to win all three points.”
