The past few months have been trying ones for Djair Parfitt-Williams.

A season that promised so much for the West Ham United Under-21 striker was interrupted when he suffered a knee injury in training.

The timing of the injury could not have been worst as Parfitt-Williams was on the verge of becoming the first Bermudian to play in the Barclay’s Premier League since Shaun Goater ended his illustrious career at Manchester City in 2003.

“I was on the bench consistently like every week for the first team and training with them every day,” Parfitt-Williams said. “So for me to get injured was upsetting and I was heartbroken.

“It’s so unfortunate because I was doing so well for the reserve team, scoring and creating a lot of goals.

“But, I believe in God and feel that everything happens for a reason, so I just take it on the chin and try to keep going.”

It was initially thought that the player’s injury would keep him off the pitch for the remainder of the season.

“They told me I was going to be out pretty much to the end of the season,” Parfitt-Williams said. “But I’ve worked hard and I can be back probably in the next two to three weeks now, so I can hopefully end the season strongly the way I was before I got injured.”

Parfitt-Williams continues to impress the coaching staff at Upton Park, making his first appearance for West Ham’s first team against Lusitanos of Andorra in the Europa League qualifiers last July.

“That was at the start of the season and I got told I was going to be involved in training with the Europa League squad,” Parfitt-Williams said. “I didn’t know if I was actually going to play yet so I was really excited about that.

“The day before the game I was told that I was going to be brought on and given an opportunity, and it was amazing. I got to play in front of 30,000 fans and that type of stuff is what you dream of so it was good opportunity.

“It wasn’t intimidating because I’ve always wanted to do that, so it was more like, you’re getting to do what you’ve always wanted to do so try to make the most of it.”

Parfitt-Williams, who is a relative of legendary St George’s Cup Match bowler and captain Clarence Parfitt-Williams, is touted as one of the best under-21 forwards in Britain.

“He’s the sort of player who, if he did get his opportunity and was brought on maybe even just for ten minutes at the end of a game, he can go past people and get the crowd on the edge of their seat,” Mark Phillips, the West Ham under-18 coach, said. “So he’s one who could really take the eye if given the opportunity.

“He has loads of talent in possession but I think he’s added the sort of work ethic to his game when we’re out of possessions which I think he needed. He’s like a Ronaldo, if you want. He has loads and loads of tricks in his book; he can face a player one-on-one and go past him.

“He used to do it for fun a little bit and didn’t realise you have to have an input at the end of it, and I think he’s brought that into his game and also brought the other side when we’re out of possession without doubt.

“He’s never going to be a defender, but he realises when we haven’t got the ball there’s a job to be done, and in the last year I have seen a big increase in that side of his game.”