Matthew Upson is desperate to show West Ham fans his true value.

The 28-year-old whose progress as a highly-rated Arsenal youngster was severely restricted by a ruptured cruciate knee ligament and then a broken leg - as well as the presence of centre-backs like Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Sol Campbell - won seven England caps in his four years at Birmingham, but tore a calf muscle on his Hammers debut at Aston Villa in February.

He had played for only 28 minutes and managed just 11 minutes of a comeback attempt against Tottenham a month later.

"I ended up just watching every other game," said Upson. "But the only way I could contribute was with encouraging words in the dressing room. I just wished I could have got my boots on instead.

"It was very frustrating, of course, particularly with my injury history, but after this one I think I've learned more about my body in the last few months than during my whole career.

"I've been training with athletes and coaches and other specialists who made me aware that I should make massive improvements to the way I run and the way I set myself. It has been a real eye-opener.

"The calf was a problem with a long, vertical tear in the sheaf of the muscle and, in basic terms, it happened because I was unknowingly loading too much weight on that side to compensate against previous injuries.

"But having finally got over that, I'm feeling as good as I've ever felt, got back a belief in my fitness and can't wait to get into the matches."