Mark Noble is not the only West Ham player who has recently considered his international options.

While he decides whether to patiently wait for England to come calling, or perhaps opt for the Republic of Ireland via qualification through his paternal grandparents, team-mate Mauro Zarate has had to make a similar choice.

The 27-year-old striker, signed by West Ham from Velez Sarsfield during the summer, took a telephone call earlier this year asking him if he would consider playing for Chile, since his father, Sergio, a former professional player, was born in the country.

The prospect of playing at the World Cup would have tempted many but not Zarate. “Before the last World Cup, Chile called me about playing for them. My father was born in Chile,” explains Zarate. “I said ‘no’, I can’t do that. I want to play for Argentina. I don’t want to kill my dream.

“I think that playing in the Premier League is good for that dream because I believe it is the best football in the world. If you play well here, I think you will get your chance.”

Zarate, who won the 2007 Under-20 World Cup with Argentina, cites two of his four brothers as evidence for that belief, since Sergio Jr and Rolando have both represented the country at senior level. At a meeting after what had been a difficult season, West Ham co-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan sat down with manager Sam Allardyce and plotted a new course — one that required a change in philosophy and personnel.

Zarate, known to the co-owners after a spell at their previous club Birmingham, became the first example of that different approach. While strikers such as Andy Carroll and Carlton Cole were more conventional target men, the Argentine was different.

He was all about movement, peeling off defenders to receive an early pass, turn and take defenders on. His goal at Crystal Palace in a 3-1 victory on his debut capped a fine individual performance. A week later, though, and it was very different as Southampton quickly closed Zarate down, nullifying his effectiveness to such an extent that he was substituted in the second half.

“That match was very disappointing. We didn’t play,” he admits. “We kicked the ball long and it was very difficult to play like this.

“Against Crystal Palace we passed the ball well, we moved well. Against Southampton it was very different.

“If every player passes the ball and moves, I think this team can play very well but Southampton played very well. They closed me down when I had the ball but I don’t mind that. One of my strengths, when I am being marked tightly, is to turn quickly and go away from them.”

Away from football, Zarate is happy as an adopted Essex man. “I have settled in well,” he says. “It is a nice group here. I have my family here, my wife, Natalie, and daughter, Mia. We live in a nice house in Essex.”

Zarate is in no doubt, despite the disappointment against Southampton, that he has made the right decision to come to England.

“In Spain you have two exceptional clubs and a third — Atletico Madrid — who did very well last season,” he says. “But here you probably have eight big clubs. West Ham now have the chance to be up there, particularly with the move to the Olympic Stadium. That is a very important time for this club because the new stadium will bring much more status to West Ham.”

More immediately, though, is next Monday’s Premier League trip to Hull City. “Hull will be a tough game for us because they have bought some very good players,” says Zarate. “I don’t know yet what team will play against them because we have a lot of good players now, such as Alex Song.

“He is a really important signing with his technique and experience. Whatever the team is, though, we have to play the way we did against Palace. This must be the standard for us. If we can play that way we will do well but if we repeat the way we played against Southampton, it will be very difficult.”