Vlasic so thrilled

Nikola Vlasic was delighted to finally get his first goal for West Ham as the Hammers thumped Watford 4-1.

The summer signing got on the scoresheet at the end of the game, as Jarrod Bowen sprinted down the right flank and cut the ball back for him to finish into an empty net.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

It has been a long time coming for the playmaker, who has been impressing recently under the management of David Moyes.

But he was delighted to get on the scoresheet as the Hammers came from behind to return to winning ways against the relegation-threatened Hornets.

Speaking to the club’s official website, he said: “Yeah, it’s lovely. I was waiting for this like for three months. It’s hard when I came to a new club in a new place and a new environment and the first goal is the hardest. So, I think now it will be everything will be easier. I relieved pressure from myself so I’m very happy. And I think everybody in the team is happy for me.”

Vlasic has chalked up his somewhat slow start to life in east London to the fact that he simply didn’t get to have a pre-season, as he was signed by the Hammers straight after the conclusion of Euro 2020, in which he played for Croatia.

The goalscorer added that he had had a complicated pre-season which perhaps may have hindered him saying: “Yeah, you know, some stuff that happened during the summer – we had the European Championship and when I came back to my club [in Russia], I didn’t do preseason, then I wanted to go, and then I didn’t train. Then you come in the new club, you’re without a preseason and stuff like that, and then you need to adapt to a better league with way faster football, but I knew everything would come into place and if I worked hard every day on the training ground, then it will pay off.”

 

About Dave Langton

A journalist with 10 years' experience of working on National newspapers, now chief reporter covering the club that I've loved since I was a boy. Upton Park remains the greatest football stadium ever built.