West Ham goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski is pleased with how his rehabilitation is progressing but insists he will not rush his return from injury.
The 34-year-old has been out since tearing a hip muscle during the Premier League draw at Bournemouth on September 28.
He underwent surgery to correct the problem last month and is on the road to making a full recovery, although the Poland international is not expected to be back in action for the first team until 2020.
Asked about the progress he is making, Fabianski said: “I’m all good. I’m feeling like the rehab is going in the right direction, in the right way.
“I think I’m getting better and I’m doing more things, so hopefully it will continue like that and it will be successful.
“The biggest mistake in my case would be to try to rush things because there would be a big chance of it happening again so, with injuries like that, you have to be really careful about it.
“I don’t want to rush. I just want to take my time and make sure I come back in the right way, not only physically but from the goalkeeping point of view, which is important.”
Fabianski’s injury absence has coincided with a poor run of results for West Ham, who have lost four games in a current winless run of six Premier League matches, leaving the club 16th in the table and five points above the bottom three.
The streak is testing the patience of Hammers fans and manager Manuel Pellegrini came under scrutiny prior to the international break.
Fabianski hopes the supporters remain behind the team, and said: “We need to make sure that we can come back in a strong way and turn things around and get some positive results in the next few weeks.
“My belief, when it comes to supporting, when it comes to fans, (is that we all need to be together).
“From the moment the referee blows the whistle until the last moment, I think, as a fan, as a supporter, as a team-mate, we should be right there for them and to cheer them, support them and be right behind them for the 90 minutes and help in some way by creating an atmosphere that can raise your game.
“That’s what I hope to see from the supporters in the coming games. They have an important part to play as well.”
