West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho has declared himself fit to return after almost four months out with a back injury.
The 27-year-old has been limited to just two Premier League appearances for the Hammers this season, both of which came in November, having struggled with a long-standing back problem.
The Senegal international underwent surgery on the injury in December and recently returned to first-team training, and now he believes that he is ready to make his comeback for Slaven Bilic's side.
"When I arrived in England, I had a back problem which has been troubling me until now. I needed a back operation, but I kept saying no. I did finally have one in December and now it's much better. I feel I'm ready to play. I've already asked to play before, but I think the medical team wanted to protect me, so that I could do a bit more work in the gym and on the training pitch individually," he told the club's official website.
"I have now resumed training with the first team and want to play in early April. It's always hard to work on your own because you're less motivated. It's mental strength that gives you extra desire and when you see your teammates out training, you want to give even more. I'm coming to the end of the tunnel, so I think I'm making good progress.
"My body is my work tool now, so I'm trying to work on everything that is good for my body and who's to say I won't carry on playing for another 10 or 12 years? After training I used to head straight home, but now I devote more time to understanding my body and stretching. I think it's a good thing. I used to hate it. I didn't want to do it. African players often head straight home after training and we don't make time to see what our bodies need. I think now is a good starting point."
West Ham are currently on a four-match losing streak following Sunday's 2-1 defeat at the hands of Hull City.
Barney Corkhill
