Pablo Zabaleta was in a positive frame of mind after his first taste of action in a West Ham United shirt on Monday evening.
The Argentine defender made his first appearance for the Club with a 45-minute run-out in the 0-0 draw against Sturm Graz II at Bad Waltersdorf in Austria, and insisted the encounter provided the ideal physical test at this early stage of the team’s pre-season preparations.
Speaking to West Ham TV after the game, he said: “It felt good. It was a shame not to win the game – you always want a victory – but of course the main thing is to get the minutes.
“That was our first 45 minutes after 10 days of hard work, and it was good for the team to build up the fitness levels.
“The game was good, obviously we didn’t score but we created a few good chances and their goalkeeper was fantastic.
“It is early days, we have got plenty of time to keep working and be more focused on tactics.
“We have another game on Thursday against Fulham, and it will be a good test for us to keep improving as a team and increase the confidence.”
That was our first 45 minutes after 10 days of hard work, and it was good for the team to build up the fitness levels
Pablo Zabaleta
Having now spent a full week with his new team-mates at the Club’s training camp in Austria, Zabaleta admitted he has settled in perfectly to life as a Hammer and is looking forward to what the new campaign brings.
“I’m really enjoying myself,” he said. “All the lads are fantastic, every single person around the Club has been great, so I’m very pleased.
“I can’t wait for the start of the season. Hopefully we can bring in a few more players to improve the squad, and there are still a few to come back soon from injury, so we all aim to be at 100% for the start of the season.”