Javier Hernandez is looking for game time ahead of the World Cup

Javier Hernandez has admitted he did ask to leave West Ham in January but says he is committed to helping the club stay in the Premier League.

The former Manchester United forward joined the Hammers from Bayer Leverkusen in July for £16m but has struggled for consistency with five goals in 24 appearances in all competitions this season.

Sky Sports News reported a week before the end of the transfer window that the Hammers were willing to listen to offers for the 29-year-old, but he was prevented from leaving when Andy Carroll got injured and Diafra Sakho sold to Rennes for £8m.

"Yes, it was the case that I wanted to go," Hernandez told The Mirror. "Not because I don't like West Ham, but because I need to have minutes on the pitch.

"The World Cup is just around the corner and I want to play. But you can see that, even though my agent says I want to go, I have been doing everything I can in a West Ham shirt to help the team.

"Against Bournemouth I scored a goal, I tried to play pretty well in the Cup [against Wigan last weekend] and, in the last game, against Crystal Palace, I tried to do my best.

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"I am a very ­professional guy and I want to do that. Words can come and go. Your acts are going to speak for themselves.

"Now that the window is closed I am here and trying to achieve the main goals for the club, which is to be safe from relegation. Then, in the summer, we will see."

West Ham are just four points above the relegation zone ahead of their game against Brighton on Saturday and Hernandez accepts the supporters will be keeping an eye on him.

"I feel good with the fans," Hernandez added. "I think they are happy with me. They have treated me very well since the beginning. But I want to be better. I want to deliver for them.

"Obviously, they are concerned, but what I see in the dressing room, what I feel, is that we want to be better. We all try to work very hard. We all want more points, more good results, to be higher in the table.

"We want to make the fans happier and we are trying. We are working hard and the season is not over yet."