Muamba keen to hit ground running

29 July 2009 19:25
The Wanderers midfielder's performances for England Under-21s at the European Championships earlier this month earned widespread praise, and the 21-year-old reckons he arrived back for the pre-season schedule brimming with confidence. But having experienced a difficult first season at the Reebok, Muamba is aiming to make sure he does himself more justice this time around. "I have said all along that this is a really big season for me," he told the Bolton Evening News. "The tournament was really positive for me, I was pleased with my performance and I did the best I could. "I'm back now and I want to bring that back to Bolton now and hopefully people will see the improvement this season. "Once I get my place in the team I am sure I can give 100 per cent and people will see a different Fabrice, really." Muamba's performance against Spain in the group stages was described by England boss Stuart Pearce as the "best holding midfield performance" he had ever seen. And while the Wanderers man was happy to take the praise, he claims it will count for nothing if he continues to struggle at The Reebok. "It's great to hear something like that from Stuart Pearce but I think the whole team played well that night," he said. "I tried to do my bit but the most important thing was that we won the game. "The praise was what it was. It was nice but I have to make sure it improves my performances as a Bolton player." England were eventually humbled by Germany in the final but Muamba reserved his own admiration for his opponents, who ran out 4-0 victors in Malmo. "It didn't work for us but credit to Germany they defended really, really well and they had done their homework," he added. "They scored the first goal but the second one absolutely killed us and they deserved to win the game in the end."

Source: Team_Talk