World Cup winner Guido Rodriguez has endured a season full of ups and downs in his debut campaign in English football. This included a lengthy spell without any game time, despite these challenges, Rodriguez sees it as a season in which he has grown as a player and a person.

Rodriguez joined West Ham last summer with quite an impressive CV, having won the Copa del Rey with Real Betis and enjoyed plenty of success on the international stage. The 31 year old midfielder has won 30 caps for Argentina, as well as having lifted football’s holy grail, the World Cup, Rodriguez is a two time Copa America winner.

Discussing his first season in England in an interview, Rodriguez said: “The truth is that it is different to all the leagues I’ve played in before. It’s very technical, but also very physical. Any team can beat anyone. This year there were a lot of results that sometimes are not what you expect.”

Whilst it has been far from a smooth sailing debut season in Claret and Blue for the 31 year old, the Hammers midfielder believes the obstacles he’s faced have helped him grow: “I really appreciate the challenge and intensity of the Premier League. I think this season has made me grow a lot as a player, as a person, and I’ve learned so many things,” the midfielder told the clubs Official Website.

Having featured in the opening few months of the season, opportunities eventually started to become harder to come by for the Argentine midfielder, even more so since the arrival of Graham Potter.

Many fans were surprised to see Rodriguez start away against Manchester United recently. Prior to returning to the starting XI in the Hammers last two matches, Rodriguez had played one minute of football since February.

Reflecting on this difficult spell, Rodriguez said: “This year I arrived, I started to play, then there were changes at the Club and I was out of the team. I think I spent three months without practically having any minutes. I kept training the same, I kept working hard and then I was given the opportunity to start against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

After two positive displays since his return to the side, the World Cup winner is hopeful the Hammers can bring the curtain down on a disappointing campaign with a win in their final game of the season against Ipswich: “The season didn’t really go as we had hoped in sporting terms, but the fans have been very respectful. They’ve continued to support us right through to the final game, and for that, I’m really grateful.”

Rodriguez added: “Hopefully, we can give them a reason to smile at the end of the season this weekend.”