Bryan Ruiz insists the Fulham fans have yet to see the best of him following his big-money move from FC Twente last summer.
Striker has impressed with his pre-season performances
Bryan Ruiz insists the Fulham fans have yet to see the best of him following his big-money move from FC Twente last summer.
The Costa Rica international found the back of the net just twice in his 30 appearances last season as he took time to settle in at the club.
His season got worse as he was stretchered off the pitch with a broken foot in their 3-0 win at Bolton which ruled him out of the final six games of the season.
But the 26-year-old says he is now back to full fitness and ready to show the fans and his manager Martin Jol he is worth every penny of his £10.6million price-tag.
"I agree, I think there is more to come," he admitted to the club's
official website. "I know that the manager has talked about me making a greater contribution and that he has faith that I can. Is that pressure? I don't think so.
"It is exactly what I want to hear because I came to England to show my qualities. If I am honest, I believe that it has taken me a little while to find my feet.
"Having had almost a year to adjust to the culture, the team, the manager and my team-mates, I feel that I have a lot more confidence.
"I am enjoying pre-season and I feel good. I want to be an important player for the club and one that can make a difference. It's nice that people believe that I can do it - so I want to show that I can."
Confidence
Jol has been busy in the transfer market this summer with the likes of Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric joining in cut-price deals, while Sascha Riether joined on a season-long loan from Cologne.
And Ruiz believes the manager has picked up some impressive talent in the bargain bins around Europe.
"From what I have seen so far, they look really good," he added. "Sascha is a strong defender while, further forward, Mladen has done well too. He has scored a lot of goals so far, and hopefully he can continue to do so.
"Okay, they might be pre-season goals, but you can only score in the games that you are part of. As a striker, it will give him confidence going into his first campaign at the club, and that is the important thing.
"Hugo [Rodallega] has come in as well, and we're looking forward to seeing him in action. He did well in his time at Wigan and, as a result, has Premier League experience. He'll be hoping he can make an impact too, and I'm sure he will be a success.
"It's nice to welcome new players. The spirit of the team is really good and we are all looking forward to getting the season started. We had a good year together last season, and we want to do good things again."
