Snodgrass impressed on loan at Villa last season, but has returned to West Ham.
Robert Snodgrass has told West Ham United’s official website that he chose to remain with The Hammers instead of staying at Aston Villa is because he wanted to prove himself to Manuel Pellegrini.
Snodgrass, 31, has been heavily involved in West Ham’s side this season, making 11 appearances in all competitions and even scoring two goals and laying on three assists in the 8-0 win over Macclesfield.
However, he was loaned to Aston Villa for the entire 2017-18 season after falling down the pecking order under Slaven Bilic, who had signed him from Hull City just months earlier in January 2017.
Eight goals and 13 assists in Villa’s run to the play-off final tempted Snodgrass to stay at Villa, but instead he chose to return to the London Stadium and show Pellegrini that he has what it takes to impress in east London.
“I went away to Villa to keep playing, but I always kept an eye on the results and spoke to the lads, wishing them good luck through those tough times last year,” Snodgrass said. “I am friends with these people. I wanted to come back and try and prove myself to the manager.
“I want to be here, work hard for the cause and try to help the lads go forward and kick on to the top part of the table. That’s why I came here.”
Snodgrass, who has two years left on his £40,000-a-week contract at West Ham (Spotrac), could now be in line for more game time under Pellegrini after Andriy Yarmolenko was ruled out for six months with an achilles injury.
West Ham are next in action against Leicester City on Saturday evening in the Premier League, as they look to add to their poor record of just two league wins from nine so far.
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