David Di Michele has spoken of his determination to help West Ham United push on for a European spot in the final four games of the season.
The vastly experienced former Italy striker has plenty of experience of UEFA competition, not least in scoring against the Hammers for Palermo during the short-lived 2006/07 UEFA Cup campaign. In his first season in east London on loan from Torino, Di Michele is eager to try and end the campaign on a high despite the weekend loss to Chelsea.
"I'm a bit disappointed because I didn't play my best," he said. "I know I let my coach down for once. But the season remains more than positive. We are still in the position to get the qualification to UEFA Cup, which would be unbelievable. There are still four games, we all are confident we can do it."
Having spent his entire career in Italy, the 33-year-old has adapted quickly to life in the Premier League but admitted he would like to have weighed in with more goals than his four from 27 league appearances. "It's has been a good season for me. Maybe I should have scored few more goals but I'm very satisfied because I played much more games than I expected.
"I'm also surprised how well I settled down in London. My wife and my children as well, we couldn't have asked more. I love life in London." The No32 would relish the chance to stay on for longer but for now is focused only Stoke City on Saturday while others determine his future.
"As I have already said many times I'd love to stay at West Ham for a few more years. I feel good at this club and I really hope Torino will let me stay here. But in football you never know what can happen and at this stage my desire can't make the difference. It's up to the two teams to find an agreement."