James Ward-Prowse is a happy Hammer.
The midfielder is back at Rush Green training ground and looking forward to pulling on his West Ham United shirt again after his loan spell at Nottingham Forest ended and he returned to east London on deadline day.
Having been allowed to leave the Club in the summer, Ward-Prowse then found himself fighting for a place at Forest, with regular starts difficult to come by, but the No8 did not let the situation get him down.
Instead, after a challenging time, the England international is fit, highly motivated and ready to show new Head Coach Graham Potter exactly what he can do.
“It's good to be back!” he smiled, having already reclaimed his seat in the canteen alongside his teammates and friends Danny Ings, Aaron Cresswell, Maximilan Kilman and Jarrod Bowen. “Obviously it was a strange feeling and situation to leave the Club in the first place, but that's football.
“Even though the last few months for me personally haven't been the most productive as I would have liked on the pitch, I feel as though the whole experience off it and the sort of different tests that I've had to endure have sort of benefited me now. And I think I'll look back on the experience and I'll be grateful for it.
“It's really lit a fire in me to go out and prove people wrong.”
Prior to this season, Ward-Prowse had been a starter throughout his senior career for Southampton and, last season, West Ham. For that reason, it was a new feeling when he found himself out of the starting XI at the City Ground.
“I just want to get back out on the pitch,” he explained. “I think I'm the sort of character that wants to play every minute of every game.
“That's what I've been used to over the years, so to have had that brief period in the first half of the season where I haven't, it's tested those parts of my character again from when I was younger and relit that fire inside of me to get out there and to get playing again and enter a new chapter under the new Head Coach with a little bit more optimism.
“When a new Head Coach comes in, everybody starts again on zero. There's a clean slate. So especially for me coming back, it's a fresh opportunity.
“You can see that there's something building here. It's been a good positive first few weeks [under Potter] and hopefully I can add to that.”
Head Coach Potter has spoken positively not just about Ward-Prowse’s quality on the pitch, but also the positive influence he can have on the dressing room with his professionalism and experience.
The 30-year-old provided eight goals and eleven assists for the Irons last term, and believes he can start contributing again straight away.
“Football is a difficult environment at times,” he observed. “But I've always tried to stay honest to myself as to who I am and not change. And regardless of your footballing situation, above all, the team is the most important thing.
“Whether you're playing or whether you're not, I've learned in the last few months, especially, that you have to be good around the place, even if you're not playing, because the opportunities will come at some point and you have to be ready to take them.
“My influence will hopefully help in the dressing room, but obviously, more importantly, I want to be out there and influencing games.
“I don't feel physically any different. I feel mentally stronger and I feel like I'm ready to have an impact on the Club for hopefully many years to come.”
