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Mads Hermansen has revealed how he revived his West Ham career after a difficult start to life at the London Stadium.
The Hammers signed Hermansen from Leicester City last summer to be their first-choice goalkeeper, ahead of Alphonse Areola.
However, after conceding 11 goals in his first four games, Graham Potter dropped him to the bench and made Areola the No.1.
Thankfully for Hermansen, Nuno Espirito Santo gave him a second chance earlier this year, and he has taken his opportunity.
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Mads Hermansen opens up on return to form at West Ham
Hermansen has made more saves than any other Premier League goalkeeper since his return to the starting line-up.
With four clean sheets in eight matches, the Denmark international has played a key role in the Hammers’ recent improvement.
Nuno’s side are now one point ahead of 18th-placed Tottenham in the relegation battle with a game in hand against Crystal Palace.
In an in-depth interview, Hermansen has now explained how he turned his West Ham career around after it had started so poorly.
“I’m quite an emotional guy, and when things get emotional, I try to ask myself how I can take all this emotional stuff out of the football part of my life,” he told Sky Sports.
“Then [I] just get my job done and do everything I can, so every night when I go to bed I can say to myself, ‘I did everything I could to improve and to show myself the best way possible.’
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“Those questions I had to ask myself in that period, I’ve really learned to bring that along now when I’m playing, which has helped me a lot.
“It’s easy coming out of a tough period saying it was really good for me, but I really learned a lot from it.”
Hermansen’s new mental approach has clearly had a positive effect on his performances for the Hammers.
He will now look to continue his excellent form in the remaining six games of the season, starting with the trip to Selhurst Park.
Hermansen added that everyone in West Ham’s dressing room is confident they can avoid relegation despite their earlier struggles.
“We’ve been in this for quite many months,” he added. “The fear of where we might go is not easy to work with.
“But praise to everyone here at the club for keeping the spirits high and making us believe that we can turn it around.”
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