West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola counts himself lucky to have snapped up Mexico's World Cup hopeful Guillermo Franco and is surprised that no other leading clubs expressed an interest in the striker.

Franco, 33, is now a regular in Javier Aguirre's Mexico squad after scoring six goals in 19 appearances.

Aguirre heaped praise on the target man's hold-up play and "team contribution" after he went on on as a substitute in the 5-0 drubbing of the USA during July's Gold Cup Final.

Franco helped himself to the fifth and final goal in the rout which capped a successful outing for Mexico's London-based stars with Carlos Vela (Arsenal) and Giovani dos Santos (Tottenham) already on the scoresheet.

Franco could find himself spearheading Mexico's three-pronged attack in June if he can maintain his form and fitness with West Ham.

Both Vela and dos Santos will struggle for games in north London, possibly opening the door for Franco to compete with veteran Cuauhtemoc Blanco and youngster Enrique Esqueda for a starting berth.

The powerful striker was signed by the east London club on a free transfer after Spanish side Villarreal decided not to offer him a new contract in the summer. Zola jumped at the opportunity to land the experienced front-man and has been delighted with his early return.

Franco, who scored in the weekend's 5-3 victory over Burnley, now has three goals in his six Premier League starts. He has made an instant adjustment to life in England's top flight and Zola is confident that his time with West Ham will bring out the best in Franco ahead of next summer's tournament.

Zola said: "Franco has been very good for me. He's proving to be a very good player for us. He's been a very good gain for West Ham United.

"He is an excellent guy, he works very hard and, above all, he's a very intelligent player. He does the right things for the team and I'm really impressed with him."

Franco had been signed to provide cover for first-choice target-man Carlton Cole, but, after he developed such an understanding with the England international, Zola has been forced to abandon his preferred 4-3-3 formation to accommodate the duo.