West Ham's Samir Nasri thrilled to be back playing again

Image: Samir Nasri (L) was playing in his first match in 14 months

Samir Nasri says it was a relief to be back on a football pitch after making his debut for West Ham.

The Frenchman was a surprise starter against Birmingham in the FA Cup, his first match since November 2017 following a doping ban.

But at times it looked as though the former Arsenal and Manchester City playmaker had never been away as he bossed the midfield for just under an hour before being substituted.

Marko Arnautovic headed West Ham into the lead before he was substituted early on, and his replacement Andy Carroll sealed a 2-0 win in stoppage time, but it was the performance of Nasri which stood out.

"I'm happy to get my first minutes in the West Ham shirt, but most important was the team performance and winning 2-0, keeping a clean sheet," he told whufc.com.

Advertisement
Image: Nasri could now feature against Arsenal next weekend

"I felt good, honestly I thought I would struggle a little more with the rhythm as my last game was 13 months ago.

"I'm just relieved that everything is now behind me and happy about those first 58 minutes. It was good and I'm just looking forward to the next game."

Also See:

Nasri, 31, will now be in contention to face his former club Arsenal at the London Stadium, live on Sky Sports Premier League, next Saturday.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini said: "I was very happy in the way he played. He is a player that gives you time with the ball, he has such good technique that the ball is always around him.

"He now will be considered in different games. Next is Arsenal - we don't know if he will start or be on the bench but now he demonstrated that he is back and he will continue to improve his performances in every game he plays."

Jeff's Now Given Away £10 Million

Predict 6 correct scores for your chance to win £250K.

Outbrain