Jack Collison has been rewarded for his rapid progress with a new contract.
The 20-year-old Welsh international midfielder has signed a new five-year deal with United that keeps him tied to Upton Park until 2013.Collison has made just five appearances for the Hammers thus far this season but has impressed both the club and supporters with his energetic displays. He opened his goalscoring account for the club in the 3-1 home defeat against Everton last month.
Talking to whufc.com tonight, a happy Collison said:
"It has been a really good year for me. It is a nice Christmas present and a good way to end the year after making my debut for the senior team at Arsenal at the beginning of the year. I now want to claim a regular place in the starting eleven if I can and really push on now.
"I am delighted that the club wants me here for a long time. It gives you security and now it is sorted, I can just concentrate on my football. I have worked my way through from the youth team to the first and want to be a regular part of it all.
"The new manager has come in and given me the confidence to show what I can do - and now I am aiming to make the most of all my opportunities on the pitch."
Collison's rapid emergence from Tony Carr's youth team set-up saw the Watford-born number 31 make his international debut in the 1-0 victory in Denmark last month - a game won by a goal from Collison's West Ham United team mate Craig Bellamy.
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