New West Ham boss Avram Grant is desperate to keep England duo Matthew Upson and Robert Green at the club

New West Ham boss Avram Grant is desperate to keep England duo Matthew Upson and Robert Green at the club.

The former Portsmouth boss, who was unveiled to the media last week, is determined for the side to make strides next season and he believes they will be key to the East End side's future success.

Green has the highest profile of the threesome at the minute after his World Cup howler against the USA, but Grant backed the stopper to return to top form.

"He is a great goalkeeper, he proved himself in the past. He is a positive person, so we are happy that he is here," Grant said.

"I like it when I spoke to him. He spoke to me only about the future and what will happen. He looks to me very intelligent.

"Of course I spoke to him on the phone and I was very happy with what I heard.

"I don't think what happened has had an effect on him.

"I saw on the television this year, when Casillas, the best goalkeeper in the World Cup in my opinion, let in a goal and everybody say it was his fault, the fault of his girlfriend, the fault of his mother. Yet he was the best player in the last three games.

"This is the life of a goalkeeper and maybe of a striker. You need to have a short memory and for me, Robert Green is a great goalkeeper.

"I watched him in the last year and I am looking forward to seeing him in the first training."

Grant was equally positive about skipper Upson and has urged the former Arsenal man to commit his future to West Ham.

"We will see when he comes back of course, but we want Matty Upson to stay at the club," he said.

"I think any club, but especially a club like West Ham, needs to do everything they can to keep a player like Upson. He is a good player and a good person and so we will do everything to get him to stay at the club.

"But also the West Ham fans deserve to have a player who wants to play for the club and I want only players who want to play because I think we have a great future at this club.

"It will be good for us and it will be good for the players and of course Matty is one of them.