West Ham United striker Jordan Hugill has sent a warning to Southampton on whufc.com ahead of their potentially season-defining clash against the south coast outfit at the London Stadium on March 31.

The £10m January addition from Preston North End – who the fans have already labelled as a pointless signing –  has only played 12 minutes of Premier League football for the Irons so far, but he opened his goalscoring account for the club with a goal in the 3-1 friendly win against Dagenham & Redbridge on Wednesday night after starting the game in the absence of Marko Arnautovic and Javier Hernandez, who are both on international duty.

The 17th-placed Hammers – who have slipped down the standings following three successive defeats by a three-goal margin – host the 18th-placed Saints next in what is a massive six-pointer for both clubs.

David Moyes' men know that a fourth successive Premier League defeat would leave them in the relegation zone with just seven matches of the campaign remaining, and they will be keen to avoid the trouble on and off the pitch that further marred their 3-0 reverse against Burnley at home earlier this month.

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Speaking following his goal and looking ahead to the game against Mark Hughes' side, the 25-year-old centre-forward told whufc.com: "I'll keep plugging away and plugging away and, when my time comes, I'll be ready for it.

"I'm really excited for the Southampton game, which is a massive game for the club and one that, if I play my part in it, I'd be delighted.

"It's a massive game so hopefully we can come out on top."

Southampton will be looking to pick up just their second win in 18 top flight matches when they make the trip to east London, although they would have been buoyed by the 2-0 triumph against Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium last weekend that saw them set up a FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea at Wembley next month.