Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez says he has been given more playing time than he expected under current manager David Moyes, the Mexico forward has told ESPN Brasil.
West Ham's change of manager from Slaven Bilic to Moyes on Nov. 7 had stagnated the 29-year-old Hernandez's progress at the club so much so that he sought a transfer unsuccessfully last month in search of more playing time with the World Cup looming.
Hernandez only joined West Ham last summer in a £16 million deal from German side Bayer Leverkusen but had struggled to make the desired impact, scoring just six goals in 25 appearances.
"I have played a lot more than I thought I would. In the past three matches, I have started and played the 90 minutes. I am very happy about it. If I have to go back on the bench because the manager decides that, obviously, I won't been the happiest man in the world," Hernandez told ESPN Brasil.
"But I must help my team and I must work to gain the manager's trust."
Despite admitting he was looking to leave West Ham, Hernandez denied earlier this week that his relationship with Moyes has ever been strained.
"We get along well, there has never been any type of personal problem, we have never argued, not even during negative moments," Hernandez told Marca." I am not sure where you are going with this line of questioning, but there is nothing good or bad to determine.
"Football is like this. Because some people say something doesn't mean it is so, because you also need to listen to my manager's side because I have never had a problem with him or with anyone else.
"I have always been very frank and I did try to leave the team, not because I didn't want to be at West Ham, but because I wanted more playing time. That is because there is this huge opportunity called the World Cup in Russia. It is right around the corner and I want to go and I want to earn a spot on my team.
"I was trying to leave [West Ham]. My agent and I were trying but I am also very satisfied that despite all the uncertainty -- and those weren't such positive moments you could say -- my agent still spoke in a way that was very professional with regard to this club.
"It is not easy knowing that your future is not stable and that you need to seek more playing time. As it turned out I stayed here and I was not allowed to leave and so here I am giving my everything for the team, as you can see from the last match."
With the inclusion of Patrice Evra to the West Ham squad, Hernandez said he is happy to be reunited with the French left back as the two were part of Manchester United under Moyes during the 2010-11 season.
"At Manchester, he was a fun player. He made a lot of jokes and he has never been ashamed to show his personality. He has shown that with his 'I love this game' [catch-phrase]. He is the same Patrice Evra that I first knew," Hernandez told ESPN.
"And although people may have their doubts about him, because he is 36 and because of the incident at Marseille, I think he is going to bring a lot to our team. He will help a lot and our manager has placed his trust in him. He will help us on and off the pitch."
Hernandez said his goal is clear: to help West Ham remain clear of relegation danger.
"As I said before, despite what was said, I always try to be a model professional. I am here 100 percent. I'll give my all as in every team I've been in in the past to steer clear of relegation," he told West Ham's website.
Looking ahead to the World Cup, Hernandez said that Mexico have learned from the 7-0 loss to Chile at the Copa America Centenario.
"The 7-0 taught us that we need to change, we need to improve so that this situation is not repeated. It was an accident, just like Brazil's loss to Germany," he said. "For us, it has taught us to improve, it has made us stronger and we have realized that we don't want to go back to a past like that."