Adrian keeps on stepping up to new challenges for the sweater and no more so than last night when he saved a well taken penalty and then went to the other end to score one.
Yes, he has come under plenty of criticism over the months but the guy’s resilience and ability to bounce back is hugely impressive.
And after we lifted the Betway Cup in a well contested game without the likes of Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson makes the victory even more encouraging.
Adrian explains why saying: “It was a good night for us, I thought we played really well. We played against a really good team in Mainz, they play attacking football and they press really high so it was a really good test for us.
“I thought we pressed really well, we kept the ball and created good chances. We had the better chances and fortunately we got the win we deserved on penalties in the end.
“In pre-season it is important that every game you get better and put into practice the manager’s ideas. We are getting there, and it was another good performance.”
We are getting better and better, and getting used to it. We have another chance to improve on Friday and get ready for the game against Liverpool the following weekend.”
Reflecting on the shootout, he said: he had asked to be one of West Ham’s first five takers – a request turned down by assistant coach Enzo Maresca!
He added: “I wanted to be one of the first five penalty takers! I told Enzo that I wanted to take one but they didn’t give me the chance! I was happy to take one, and to score for the team eventually.”
Next up is a clash with French club Angers SCO in Grodig on Friday – the Hammers’ final pre-season match – when the players will hope the temperatures have dropped from the 90-degrees plus heat that enveloped Schwaz.
“I have played in heat like this before, but apparently this is the hottest it has been here for a long time.
“I thought we did well considering the heat, and in the first half we played really good football. I think we can be happy with this evening overall, and we return to training to get ready for the next game on Friday.”