Da Costa determined

Manuel da Costa is fit and ready to return to action for the West Ham United who touched his heart at the end of last season.

The 24-year-old capped a memorable closing month of the 2010/11 campaign by scoring a vitally important goal in the 2-2 Easter Monday draw at Everton.

Da Costa produced strong performances at the heart of the back four against Fulham and Manchester City in the final two fixtures of the season. Those displays were recognised by the club's fans, who celebrated survival by voting the defender as SBOBET Player of the Month for May.

The man nicknamed 'The Beast' by some at the Boleyn Ground, who returned to full training on Monday following a minor leg injury, was naturally grateful for their support.

"I am very happy when the supporters give you their blessing," he told whufc.com. "It was not the trainer or the staff, it was the supporters, and this is very important. It goes directly to my heart. I want to say 'Thank you'.

"At that time, everybody was in a difficult position. I like West Ham and I like everybody here at the club - the supporters especially - and I want to stay here.

"When you are in a difficult position, you must give more than what you have for everybody - there is no choice. We had some bad moments, but we also had some very good moments.

"My last five or six games of last season were a very good moment. Having not played so many games before, it was important that, that when I did play I played well."

Da Costa will answer supporters' questions in the Fans' Mailbag feature in Saturday's official matchday programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Bolton Wanderers to the Boleyn Ground.