HERITA Ilunga insists West Ham United can bounce back following their latest defeat to Manchester City.

The Hammers were beaten 3-1 by the Blues and have made the worst to a Premiership season since 2003, when they were relegated.

Meaning, the east Londoners currently languish third bottom in the Premier League.

But Ilunga insists West Ham have plenty of reasons to be cheerful and believes the Hammers have to string some wins together.

He said: “Looking forward, we need to show a lot of character because this is a difficult period for us.

“But last year we had a difficult spell too and we need to put a good run together and I hope it starts on Saturday against Fulham.”

The Hammers' west London opponents are also struggling, having lost their last three games, and will present a good opportunity for West Ham to get back to winning ways.

Ilunga added: “It is a state of mind. We need to get back our winning mentality. We have to defend together, first of all, and then keep hold of the ball and get forward at the opposition.

“It is very important we get ourselves right mentally, recover our calm. We need to find the right spirit together and I hope it will happen at the weekend in front of our own fans. It's very important.”