Adrian hasn’t exactly been keeping his head down recently, clearly thrilled to be, as he sees it, West Ham’s rightful first choice goalkeeper returned to his throne.
There’s been chats with the Spanish media about the situation, and Adrian has said quite a lot to Marca. As well as claiming West Ham turned down approaches from Newcastle United and Crystal Palace during the summer, Adrian opened up about his situation.
Getting an opportunity recently against Manchester City, with Joe Hart unavailable due to loan rules, Adrian explained: “I knew it was my opportunity. I prepared physically and mentally for weeks for that game. I wanted to vindicate myself, to demonstrate that I am still at a great level.”
Adrian’s performance against Manchester City is being talked up to be the stuff of legend, encouraged by the man himself, and Marca say the goalkeeper was ‘extraordinary’ during the match.
On replacing Hart, the West Ham player explained he’s been up against it: “It’s an added pressure, he’s not just any teammate. He’s the England goalkeeper and his substitution has generated a lot of impact, which forces me to be even more focused.”
Things are brighter now under David Moyes, given it was Bilic who signed Hart and made 
him first choice: “With Bilic I saw everything very dark. He told me that Joe was going to be his number one and in the first three months, without playing in the league, I had a very bad time, I became frustrated.”
Given what Adrian clearly believes is an unfair preference for Hart, the goalkeeper has praised Moyes for being brave enough to stick with him: “The coach showed a lot of personality by giving me ownership.”
Adrian, who again reiterated his desire to be in the Spain squad, is going to be very upset if he finds himself back on the bench.
