Hitzlsperger was signed from Lazio in the summer but on the eve of the season suffered a thigh injury which has forced him to wait for his Hammers debut. After six months out, that finally came in Monday's FA Cup win over Burnley and the former Aston Villa midfielder opened the scoring with a trademark left-footed strike. Cole scored twice himself as the Hammers went on to win 5-1 while Hitzlsperger came through unscathed. The Germany international, 28, is set to make his first Premier League appearance for six years at home to Liverpool on Saturday. And although West Ham are still three points from safety with 11 games left, Cole reckons Hitzlsperger will be a big boost to their survival hopes. "It is fantastic to have Thomas back," he told the Daily Express. "He's a great player, he shows what he can do in training and he's going to be a massive asset. "We always rely on Mark Noble, Robert Kovac and Scott Parker, but now they've got support as well from a talented player."
