“It was a tough period for me,” admitted Souček. “It was the first time in my life that I had a situation where I wasn't injured, and I couldn't play three very important games for West Ham, so for me it was really tough.
“I watched every game, obviously, but it was difficult to be on the seat [in the stands], and I couldn't help the players. I was around the squad, and I could speak a little bit, but I couldn't play, so it was so tough, and now I am very excited to come back.
“Everyone who knows me at West Ham knows I can’t not be playing football for that long, so I just wanted to play and get the minutes, and I really enjoyed playing the game for U21s [at Reading].
“I am ready, and I am super fit because on international duty with the Czech Republic, I played two games.
“I am happy that it is at our home stadium. It's a Monday night, so I hope that we have a really good game and that I can come and join the team with a good performance, as it's a very important night for us.”