West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has insisted that he will 'never walk away' from the club and is more determined than ever to keep hold of his job.
The 49-year-old has faced mounting pressure at the London Stadium on the back of last Friday's 3-0 home loss to Brighton & Hove Albion, leaving his side level on points with the division's bottom three.
Bilic is hopeful that he can transform West Ham's fortunes in the coming weeks, however, having so far won four of their 11 games overall this term, starting with victory against London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
"[I am] never, never, never walking away. I never walked away in my life," Sky Sports News quotes him as saying. "It is my job and a job I like to do especially in a place that I feel, after my hometown, is like few other places, you are treated special. I played here and all that.
"Do I need it? Let's not be that, how can I say, that black. It is a great job. You ask me about [Ronald] Koeman - there are always three, four, five managers in those positions and I'm definitely one of them.
"Does it make me lose my focus? No, it gives you even more. I never gave up in my career, no matter in which way of life, as a parent, as a friend, as a manager. That's my biggest strength, to be strong in hard times. Now I'm having a hard time, yes I am. That doesn't scare me."
Bilic has reportedly been given two games to save his job, with tonight's clash against Spurs followed up by a trip to face Crystal Palace at the weekend.