MORTEN Gamst Pedersen has rediscovered his hunger for the game after revealing contract worries played a part in last season’s dramatic dip in form.

Blackburn Rovers’ Norwegian winger is finally returning to some semblance of the form that saw him become an Ewood Park favourite upon his England arrival – having failed to sparkle for the majority of last season.

Pedersen is out of contract at Rovers this summer but, while tentative talks about a new deal have already started, he insists his priority is very much centred around the here and now.

Rovers travel to Arsenal tomorrow lunchtime looking for their first ever win at the Emirates Stadium, with a revitalised Pedersen confident they can again turn the form book upside down – having seen off high-flying Aston Villa last weekend.

He said: “I don’t think too much about the contract now. For me it is more about to do well and the rest will come after that.

“Last year it was contract, contract and maybe that took a bit of focus away from what I was trying to do. Everyone was talking about the contract all the time.

“Even if you say you don’t think about it, you are reminded all the time about it. If you journalists are going to change a job, and someone always reminds you of it, maybe it would take something away from your writing.

“I think I will just put it to the side and focus on the football. I trained really hard over the summer because I wanted to bounce back. It is important to focus on the football. That is the most important thing for me.”

After a slow introduction to Premier League life, arriving from Tromso in 2004, Pedersen’s eye for goal and creativity saw him quickly established as fans favourite at Ewood Park.

Over the last couple of seasons though, the 28-year-old has struggled to reproduce his early Rovers promise, especially under Paul Ince’s management early last campaign.

Pedersen, though, is confident he is finally back on the right track as he bids to win the Rovers faithful back round.

“Compared to last year, I think my performances have been much, much better,” he said.

“It is good to feel I am getting back to shape.

“I am getting better every day. Getting the goal against Gillingham means I have got off the mark early.

“I had a hard time last year. I like to think forward.

"Thinking about what went wrong is thinking the wrong way. I want to think about what I am doing right now.

“People see that I am more hungry again to show what I can do.

"It was a hard year for me last year but when the manager came I did have a lift towards the end of the season. I am trying to build on that.”