West Ham number one Lukasz Fabianski believes under-fire deputy Roberto will be an important figure in upcoming games after an error-strewn six-game stint in goal.
The veteran Spaniard has made 31 saves in his six Premier League outings since replacing the injured Pole in between the sticks in September but his appearances have also been littered with mistakes and high-profile gaffes.
The worst of all came during the lousy 3-0 loss to Burnley prior to the international break when Roberto punched the ball into his own net from the a corner and didn't cover himself in glory when throwing the ball out to an unsuspecting Fabian Balbuena in the lead up to Burnley's second.
The Hammers haven't kept a clean sheet since Fabianski tore a hip muscle in the 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on September 22 and the reigning Hammer of the Year has been well and truly missed in the meantime.
Roberto looks likely to keep his place in goal when Tottenham Hotspur and new head coach Jose Mourinho make the trip from the north of the capital to the east on Saturday lunchtime.
Fabianski, speaking to whufc.com n Wednesday, has defended his goalkeeper teammate, saying: "In Roberto's case, I think he is really trying his best to help the team.
"As a teammate, I always be there if he wants to have a chat with me about things because I have also been through some difficult times in my life. There are times when you don’t really want to talk to anyone, and you want to try to figure things out in your own way. There are times when you have good people around you and it’s always important to listen to them.
"It's always tricky how to approach difficult times but I am sure he will be an important part of the team in the coming games."
Fabianski was expected to miss around three to four months of action after suffering his injury in September, which required surgery, but he is now back on the road to recovery and is hopeful of a return in the New Year.
But the experience Polish international will not be rushed as he wants to make sure he is 100 per cent healthy before regaining his place in goal, which will be a formality when the time arrives.
On his recovery Fabianski added: "I’m all good. I’m feeling like the rehab is going in the right direction, in the right way. I think I’m getting better and I’m doing more things, so hopefully it will continue like that and it will be successful.
"The biggest mistake in my case would be to try to rush thing because there would be a big chance of it happening again so, with injuries like that, you have to be really careful about it.
"I don’t want to rush; I just want to take my time and make sure I come back in the right way, not only physically but from the goalkeeping point of view, which is important."
