Guido Rodriguez says he is in good form during his first full pre-season at West Ham United and is convinced he is close to returning to his peak form.  

The Argentine World Cup winner started for West Ham United in their Premier League Summer Series opener against Manchester United on Saturday evening, completing 72 minutes. Bruno Fernandes scored twice before Jarrod Bowen added a brilliant second-half winner for West Ham.  

Despite the disappointing result, Guido Rodriguez still believed the team's overall performance showed positive signs. He played alongside James Ward-Prowse and Tomas Soucek in midfield, with young players Preston Phelan and Freddy Potts also coming on to rotate in the middle of the park.  

He said that after quickly adapting to the rhythm of the Premier League last summer, he can now join the team 11 days before the start of the league and spend the entire offseason with the coaching staff and teammates. This period of stable preparation time will be of great benefit to his performance.  

Guido Rodriguez said: "I have been maintaining a high-intensity training rhythm and I feel very good at the moment. Last season I arrived just before the Premier League started and therefore was unable to participate in the full pre-season preparations."  

“Pre-season preparation is crucial for players, so I am very happy to be able to fully participate in this pre-season training, which will be of great benefit to my condition improvement. Although the result of the first game was not satisfactory, we still showed some positive aspects, and I believe the team will continue to improve.”  

"I have been in close communication with coach Graham Potter and have been clear about his role and expectations for me. Everything is going smoothly and the overall atmosphere is positive. We are also looking forward to the upcoming games in the United States."  

After completing their final training session at Rutgers University, West Ham United will travel to Chicago, Illinois, to face Everton in the second game of the summer series.  

While he was happy to be back at MetLife Stadium, where he had previously won the 2024 Copa América with Argentina, defeating Chile and Canada, he was even more excited to be in the United States again and immersed in its diverse culture.  

Guido Rodriguez said: "I have been to MetLife Stadium with the Argentine national team. It is a great stadium and the atmosphere was even better than I expected."  

“It’s a real shame we didn’t win this match, especially considering the tremendous support we’ve always received from our fans. It’s always a thrilling experience to interact with supporters from all over the world and I look forward to seeing you all on our upcoming trips.”