JACK Collison says he would be open to returning to Dean Court on loan but admits his priority lies with forcing his way back in at West Ham.

Collison headed back to Upton Park after his initial one-month stay with Cherries had come to an end following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Leicester.

The 25-year-old midfielder was drafted in at the 11th hour against Leeds and also started in the 5-2 win over Millwall and the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.

Collison, whose career has been blighted by a knee injury, is hoping to feature in West Ham’s League Cup fourth round clash at Burnley tomorrow.

He told the Daily Echo: “I will be looking to play in the League Cup tie and then see where I am after that. I would like to force my way into the West Ham team but if it’s not to be, it’s not to be.

“I have had a fantastic time here and would definitely be open to coming back and trying to improve on what I did. The philosophy of the management team and the way the team plays suits me.

“The lads all want to improve and I don’t think they could be under the guidance of anyone better. I have really enjoyed working under Eddie and Jason. The training has been magnificent and you can see from the effort and enthusiasm they put that this club is only going one way.”

Should Collison turn out for the Hammers at Turf Moor, a possible return to Dean Court would almost certainly have to count as a fresh loan rather than an extension.

Discussing the defeat by Leicester, Collison said: “We showed great character to come back after going 1-0 down and it was a great goal from Pughie. We felt we controlled the last 10 minutes of the first half and were on top. Half-time came at the wrong time for us because we were really in it at that point.

“We struggled to get going in the second half and then the sending off killed us. It was unfortunate but we kept going until the end and showed good fight and spirit.”

Boss Eddie Howe confirmed he would be speaking to West Ham this week regarding the possibility of bringing back Collison to Dean Court.