West Ham United defender Ryan Fredericks wants to start on Friday.
West Ham United defender Ryan Fredericks has told the club’s official website that he is desperate to start against former club Fulham on Friday night.
The Hammers are back in action on Friday night after a break, having not had any fixture last weekend, and they will be hoping to get back to winning ways after a draw at Crystal Palace.
They will be taking on London neighbours Fulham, who are mired in the relegation zone, sitting second bottom and eight points adrift of safety.
West Ham could put another dent in their survival hopes with a win on Friday, and the game may also see Fredericks take on the club he left last summer.
Fredericks, 26, spent three years with Fulham following a move from Bristol City, and starred in their promotion-winning campaign last season, hitting seven assists from right back.
Fredericks joined West Ham on a free transfer last summer despite Fulham’s promotion, and has missed a chunk of this season through injury.
Yet having started the last two league games, Fredericks may now be Manuel Pellegrini’s first-choice right back, more for his pace and attacking play than his defensive ability.
That means Fredericks could face Fulham, and he has admitted that he wants Pellegrini to pick him because the game means a lot to his personally due to his memories and friendships at Craven Cottage – even if he isn’t too worried about Fulham’s perilous situation.
“Of course, I’d love to start on Friday night as I’ve got a lot of good memories and a lot of good friends from my time at Fulham,” said Fredericks. “Obviously, it’s not going too well for them at the moment, but I’ve changed teams now and my loyalties are firmly with West Ham.
“It would be great if they could get out of trouble, but I’ve got more important things to worry about for myself than my old club,” he added.
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