Upson out to pay back his £6m transfer fee

Last updated at 16:30 30 July 2007

Matthew Upson is desperate to start repaying the faith which saw West Ham spend £6million on recruiting him as they made their controversial escape from relegation last season.

And he hopes the man at the centre of that controversy will be there with him,

for at least a while, when the new campaign begins.

Seven goals from Carlos Tevez in the last 10 games spearheaded the Hammers'

successful survival bid while Upson, a big-money signing from Birmingham, was

left frustrated on the treatment table.

But the ongoing dispute over the ownership of the Argentinian seems certain to

end with a transfer to Manchester United - even though he may still be left in

limbo at Upton Park until all the legal battles are settled.

Upson, who because of a calf injury sustained on his debut, played just 39

minutes for West Ham following his transfer in January, said: "Unfortunately

the fans haven't seen what I can do yet, but Carlos would be welcomed back by

everybody here with open arms.

"He's done nothing wrong. Like most footballers he just wants to play and when

he came here he played a massive part for the club.

"I haven't a clue about his ownership situation. I've researched it but still

can't work out more than the obvious fact that there is a dispute over whether

it is the club or his agent who actually owns Carlos - and that somebody has

made a mistake.

"But Carlos will always be favoured by the fans here because of his

contribution last season.

"Obviously it is a golden opportunity if he can join Manchester United. Nobody

could begrudge him but if we get to keep him - even for a while - it is a big

positive for West Ham because he is such a great asset.

"Whatever happens, all the players here would say good luck to him."

Upson is certainly hoping for a bit of luck for himself.

The 28-year-old whose progress as a highly-rated Arsenal youngster was severely

restricted by a ruptured cruciate knee ligament and then a broken leg - as well

as the presence of centre-backs like Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Sol Campbell -

won seven England caps in his four years at at Birmingham, but tore a calf

muscle on his Hammers debut at Aston Villa in February.

He had played for only 28 minutes and managed just 11 minutes of a comeback

attempt against Tottenham a month later.

"I ended up just watching every other game," said Upson. "But the only way I

could contribute was with encouraging words in the dressing room. I just wished

I could have got my boots on instead.

"It was very frustrating, of course, particularly with my injury history, but

after this one I think I've learned more about my body in the last few months

than during my whole career.

"I've been training with athletes and coaches and other specialists who made

me aware that I should make massive improvements to the way I run and the way I

set myself. It has been a real eye-opener.

"The calf was a problem with a long, vertical tear in the sheaf of the muscle

and, in basic terms, it happened because I was unknowingly loading too much

weight on that side to compensate against previous injuries.

"But having finally got over that, I'm feeling as good as I've ever felt, got

back a belief in my fitness and can't wait to get into the matches."

Upson, who had four injury-free seasons at Birmingham apart from when Achilles

damage sidelined him for the promotion run-in of 2006, could cost Hammers up to

£7.5million based on an appearances clause in his four-year contract, but

insists he does not feel guilty about his absence from the relegation fight.

"Pressure, maybe, but that was only what I put on myself," he pointed out.

"I felt I couldn't really mix with the squad too much because I was unable to

play a part but nobody here blamed me as far as I'm aware.

"Hopefully it is all in the past now. I haven't missed even one training

session in pre-season and I just want to get out there for the start.

"We've brought in a lot of quality players, young ones, too, with barely

anybody over 30. It is just a matter of how long it will take for us to gel and

the key word has got to be patience.

"But the new chairman certainly hasn't let anybody down, has he? He's

supported the manager by putting his money where his mouth is and it is all down

to us now.

"There is plenty of competition for places and the manager has some nice

selection problems.

"There are five of us vying for two spots at centre-back and although I could

fill in on the left at times I want to make one of those spots mine, no

argument.

"But it will be a lively dressing room, too, with plenty of young men ready to

give their opinions on what might go wrong but we have characters who are hungry

for success and you need that.

"That's healthy."