Hayden, ironically, spent most of last season kicking his heels as he awaited permission to play for the Hammers, and the affair dragged on so long as the club explored various avenues that he eventually joined Mechelen on loan for a brief spell before his marriage to a French girl allowed him, belatedly, to make his West Ham debut in the number six shirt.
He has been given a few extra days off, like Rigobert Song who was involved with Cameroon, but says he is raring to go.
"If you have too long off you get a bit tubby!
"I've had a month of involvement but I've always said that when Australia calls me I'm always available, whether in the off season or not.
"I've given up a month of my holiday to play for my country but the break I've had was not too bad."
After the prolonged agonies of last season, he just cannot wait for this one to get under way and adds:
"It was difficult in the last campaign when I finally played because we didn't have the best of finishes in the league, and it usually takes a lot of time to adapt to the English style.
"But on a personal note I don't think I did too badly, especially when the confidence of the side was down.
"So I'm really looking forward to the new season and really cementing my spot at West Ham and being a regular."
He saw a lot of the Hammers' games and can't understand what went wrong.
"You can't put your finger on what has happened, what the actual causes were; but we have to forget about last season and take it on to the next," he insists.
"We have to forget about the past and get on with the future.
"I said when I finally signed at the end of March that anything I played at the end of the season would be a bonus and I have to get cracking for the new campaign."