West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang is optimistic he can be fit for the opening day of the Premier League season when the Hammers travel to Old Trafford to face Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United.
The Spaniard has been on the sidelines since March after suffering an injury during the clash against Leicester City at the London Stadium, but has since returned to training following surgery on his ankle.
Obiang travelled to Austria this morning with the rest of the squad for the club’s pre-season tour of Europe, and the 25-year-old says he hopes to back on the same level when the season starts later in the summer.
“I am ready,” said the No14, speaking on whufc.com. “I worked a little bit before I arrived at Rush Green and came back one week early to work with some guys inside [the training ground], and they helped me to be ready to start with the boys on the first day.
“I trained with the team at the end of last week to know if I was ready, then we will go to Austria to continue our training.”
The midfielder also touched upon the importance of beginning pre-season alongside the rest of his team-mates, both for his physical and mental state.
“It is important for my confidence and also because I am starting on the same day as all my teammates, you can lose one or two days, of course, because sometimes it’s better to wait, but in this case we worked hard and I’m ready.
“I am starting to feel confident in my ankle, so I think in August I will be ready to be at the same level [as I was before the injury].”
The Hammers face Fulham 10 days time in their first match of their pre-season tour of Europe.
