West Ham reserve-team coach Kevin Keen says fans can be excited by the imminent return of summer signing Julien Faubert.
Against Aston Villa last night, the 24-year-old Frenchman made an instant impact - scoring a superb goal inside a minute after a driving run and one-two with Jack Collison - in a valuable 45 minute run-out that will only stand him in good stead for the future. He had not played since suffering an achilles injury in a pre-season friendly against Sigma Olomouc on 17 July.
"It showed you what he's about," Keen said of that superb solo goal. "He's direct, he's pacy but at the same time he will work hard for the team. We hope once he's back to full fitness that he can really go into the first team and make a difference on that right side for us."
Stressing that "we don't want to get too excited" and that Faubert is still a little way of being up to full speed, Keen said there was nothing to read into the 24-year-old summer signing going off at half-time.
"It was his first game since pre-season, it was just a matter of easing him into it - giving him a little taste of playing at Walsall, at the Bescot Stadium," he added with a smile.
What particularly impressed Keen was Faubert's willingness to defend. "He's a super kid. He's enthusiastic. He's not someone who is just going to go forward, he's going to work hard for the team which is something we need at the moment."
