Javier Hernandez is playing with a smile again after West Ham January blues

Javier Hernandez is back playing with a smile on his face, after looking for a way out of West Ham in January.

Ahead of the winter window the Mexican striker, signed from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, cut an unrecognisable figure from the poacher last seen in the Premier League at Manchester United, and was considering offers from clubs willing to give him the game time needed.

Having spent the majority of his time in east London on the bench, Hernandez took the opportunity of a run of injuries to David Moyes’ forward line with both hands.

With three goals in the last four League outings, the 29-year-old now appears to be regaining his swagger, with the target of 40 points locked in view.

“I’ve always tried to be positive and, of course, you will not find one player in the world who wants to be on the bench,” Hernandez told the club website.

“Whether the team are fighting for a title or fighting against relegation. Nobody wants to be on the bench, you want to be doing it, playing your sport.

“I’m happy, not only because I’m playing my game, but because I can feel my sharpness coming back. You can see the same has happened with Marko [Arnautovic]. Now, I’m going to try and keep that smile on my face.

“We’re out of the relegation zone and now we want to get to the 40 points as quickly as possible and then aim for even more. Our main goal is to stay clear of the relegation battle and I want to help us to do that.”

West Ham are currently ten points short of the magic number and, while it is unlikely to take 40 points to secure top flight status this season, Moyes and his squad continue to strive for that landmark.