West Ham United boost as Nayef Aguerd now expected back sooner than first thought
West Ham summer signing Nayef Aguerd is now likely to be back before the break for the winter World Cup, according to the West Ham Way.
The Moroccan was a vital signing for David Moyes in the summer as he looked to address the injury problems that plagued the centre of his defence last season.
Instead, the £30million signing from Rennes has yet to see a single minute of official first-team action for the Hammers after picking up an injury in preseason and needing to undergo surgery.
But the original prognosis for his return has reportedly been updated to a closer date with the West Ham Way reporting “positive news” on the 26-year-old’s ankle.
The new report says: “The club initially forecast that the £30m summer signing to return after the World Cup this winter, however there is confidence that could now be sooner.
“Although no date has been set by the club, belief is growing that Aguerd could feature for David Moyes before the tournament in Qatar.
“It will be a welcome boost for the manager who earmarked the defender this summer as a key target and one he was delighted to get over the line.”
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It is about time that the Hammers boss received some positive news when it comes to his defence, as he has spent the majority of the past few months chasing solutions to repeated issues at the position.
With Craig Dawson at times the only fit centre-back during the marathon 2021/22 season the Scot moved quickly in the summer to target Aguerd, and after some difficulty made him the first signing of the window.
His injury was just the start of a period that saw Issa Diop refuse to step in during a sudden injury crisis before his sale to Fulham, leading to the hasty signing of Thilo Kehrer.
Dawson came close to a move to Wolves on transfer deadline day to be closer to his family, but after a mooted move for Southampton’s Jan Bednarek fell through Moyes had to disappoint the 32-year-old.
At least it looks like Aguerd’s recovery is speeding up, and the sooner he can take his place in the line-up the better.
If he does then it might be in time for Dawson to get the move that he wants in January, while the hope will be that there are no further issues for Kurt Zouma or Angelo Ogbonna and Kehrer is more settled.
If the Irons can belatedly reach a point with four strong options in the centre of the back line then it will be better late than never but certainly will have taken the long route to get there.