This Hammer’s ready for the long haul
The Argentine scored two brilliant goals against Reading in Friday’s behind closed doors game organised to give Andy Carroll and Enner Valencia some much needed match action during the international break.
And although the Ecuadorian set up the record signing for a goal it was Zarate’s brace which really impressed the back room staff he is determined to enthuse.
We were told by a club source: “He’s a new man. Under the previous boss and this is not a criticism of Sam, he was seen as a luxury player and it simply didn’t work for either of them.
“But he is enjoying his football and playing with freedom. He has made it quite clear that he is ready to scrap for his place and has made it clear he wants to remain a part of things.
“He was left in a wilderness last season but he’s on a mission this term. He knows there’s a lot of good players here and that he’ll have to be at the top of his form all the time.
“With the likes of Lanzini doing so well and Enner on the way back it’s all pretty intense but the days of having a starting eleven and not much else are gone.
“We have a very good squad which the manager is certain to rotate to some extent and Mauro has made it very clear he’s ready to take his chances and stay for the long haul.”
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