Razvan Rat has thanked the Hammers fans who gave him a standing ovation when he came on for his home debut against Pacos de Ferreira on Saturday.

The Romanian defender joined the Hammers on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk last month and made his Upton Park bow as a half-time replacement for Joey O’Brien.

And the left-back admits he is grateful to the Hammers supporters who gave him a warm welcome to life at the Boleyn Ground.

He told whufc.com: “Thank you to the fans for giving me a good reception.

“I didn’t expect such a warm welcome so I’m happy for that, and I hope to play many more good games here to make the fans happy.

“It’s a new team, new tactics, a new championship, everything is different. I want to do well and be on a high level here.”

And Rat also explained how he is eager to get his Premier League career off to a winning start when the 2013/2014 Premier League starts with Cardiff City coming to East London.

“We want to start with three points, that’s very important to us,” he added.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the Premier League. I see it as the same level as the Champions League, so I’m looking forward to all games being at the same level.”