Ex-coach of Nayef Aguerd reveals West Ham United star made bizarre position change as a youngster – The Athletic
Nayef Aguerd has helped Morocco to a World Cup semi-final as a centre-back, but the West Ham star used to play at the other end of the pitch.
Aguerd sadly missed out on Morocco’s quarter-final victory over Portugal on Saturday afternoon, but the 26-year-old defender has still been a crucial part of his nation’s Qatar campaign.
He was signed by the Hammers in the summer for £30million [Sky Sports] due to his impressive defensive performances for Rennes, but Aguerd’s former coach has revealed that he didn’t always ply his trade as a centre-back, but actually started his football career as a No.10.
Nasser Larguet, who used to coach Aguerd in the Mohammed VI Football Academy, said to The Athletic: “Nayef was 12 when I recruited him for the academy.
“He was so grateful for the opportunity but when Nayef was 14, he went through a phase where he struggled. I warned him on two occasions that if he doesn’t improve, he will lose his place in the academy. It was a test to see how he would respond. He was good technically but I pushed him hard because I knew he could be even better.
“At the time, Nayef was a No 10 but we had so many attacking midfielders. One day before training he pulled me aside and said, ‘If I want to make it as a professional, I need to change my position’.
“I was so surprised and he said, ‘Coach, we have so many good midfielders but we don’t have many defenders. I can stand out more from that position’. He took a risk and it’s the best decision he made.”
Turning point
Aguerd will certainly look back very, very fondly on his position change as an academy player. Had he stuck to pursuing a career as an attacking midfielder then there’s a good chance he’d have never made it professionally.
Instead, Aguerd now finds himself as a World Cup semi-finalist after playing superbly for his nation at centre-back.
He’s shown glimpses of brilliance at West Ham but is yet to properly settle down in east London following his summer move. Hopefully, with a World Cup campaign behind him and plenty of confidence in his abilities, Aguerd can kick on in the second half of the season.
It’s evident in his passing and dribbling that Aguerd possesses the technique typically seen in a midfield player, and now we know why. With David Moyes wanting West Ham to take that step to start playing out from the back and taking more risks in possession, Aguerd could be a vital part to his plan.
Once he adapts to the power and physical demands of the Premier League, there’s no doubt Aguerd has what it takes to forge a successful career for himself in England.