Andre Ayew is willing to wait for a return to the West Ham United starting XI after recovering from a thigh injury.

The £20m summer signing lasted just 35 minutes of his Hammers debut before picking up the complaint against Chelsea on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Slaven Bilic has used the 26-year-old as a second half substitute in each of West Ham’s last two matches and the Ghanaian says he is slowly reaching full fitness.

“The injury feels good and I am working hard. Things are going well and hopefully I can continue like this,” he told the club website.

“It is up to the manager when I am ready to start a game but the most important thing is that we continue to work hard and try and win games. When the gaffer needs me I will be ready.”

West Ham have scored just 10 league goals this season and Ayew should provide an alternative option going forward.

While he scored just 12 goals with Swansea last season, the former Marseille man is of the opinion that he can add firepower to the London Stadium club’s arsenal.

He said: “The manager told me when he brought me on [against Everton] just to play my game and try and get on the scoresheet.

“It is part of my game to get into goalscoring situations and soon I will get a good chance and put the ball in the net.”

His 30 minute cameo in the 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park provided the clearest indication yet of the influence Ayew can have in the final third.

He went close to scoring but saw a low effort blocked and believes the team played well enough to take something from the game.

“I thought the team played very well in the first half and if we could have scored it would have been a completely different game,” he explained.

“We knew the first 20 minutes of the second half would be very difficult because they would press and try and score an early goal which they managed to do.

“We also had our chances and didn’t put them in. We need to keep working hard and soon it will come. We need to try and score some more goals and not concede.”

Ayew will be hoping the Hammers heed his message on Saturday when they entertain a rejuvenated Stoke.

The Potters are unbeaten in five league games, including three wins on the trot, and moved two points ahead of Bilic’s men after a 3-1 defeat of Swansea on Monday night.

Ayew is, therefore, aware of the need for United to be on top of their game if they are to return to winning ways.

“We cannot forget the work we have put into the last three games because of one defeat and Everton are a good team,” he said.

“We need to learn from our mistakes and get back to winning ways against Stoke.

“We know it will be another tough game but we are in front of our fans and we can beat them at home.”