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West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has admitted he was hurt by criticism of his game on social media but after talking with his teammates, he pulled himself together.

The Senegalese powerhouse was having an underwhelming season having struggled with injuries and a lack of form which had led to calls for him to be dropped from the Hammers midfield.

Kouyate had wrist surgery last summer - he still plays with a cast on his right hand - and played through an ankle injury when West Ham were short on numbers before he was ruled out for three matches before Christmas with a hamstring problem.

The midfielder said the injury issues were playing on his mind while he was out and when he returned to the team but said his fellow teammates - particularly skipper Mark Noble - helped him through the tough times.

Now, Kouyate is nearly back to his best - not quite, but nearly - and the 28-year-old said the criticism he received did sting him initially.

"I know I had some fans who were angry with me and asking ‘Why are you not playing good?’, but I know this is life and sometimes you play good and sometimes you play bad," Kouyate told the official West Ham wesbite.

"Sometimes you can’t give your best because nobody knows what problems you have, and I am over these problems and God is good and now I am starting to get back to my best."

Kouyate reserved special praise for his captain and a number of his other teammates who helped him through his rough period to rediscover his best form on the pitch after a testing campaign.

"I love my teammates," the midfielder who is closing in on a four-year stay in east London added.

"Marko [Arnautovic], Arthur Masuaku and Manu [Lanzini] have helped me to get back to my top level. They spoke to me a lot and told me ‘take your confidence, you are the best’. It’s the same message from Adrian and from Jose Fonte. I know that today I am getting back to my best and I have to thank my guys.

"I love Mark Noble, not only because he is a West Ham boy and he is the captain, but I love him because he speaks with me and he knows I had some problems, he knows everything about me and always says ‘If you need something, I’m there for you’."

Is Kouyate back to his best form? Let us know in the comments below.