West Ham United strolled to a straightforward 3-0 victory over FCSB on Thursday to make it six wins out of six in their Europa Conference League group.
It was another solid performance from David Moyesā men, especially when he gave youngsters such as Divin Mubama and Oliver Scarles their first-team debuts.
Despite the win, it wasnāt all good news on the night, with Moyes revealing a disappointing post-match injury update regarding defender Nayef Aguerd.
The manager said: āIām pleased for him. I think that will be his first 90 minutes since the end of last season. I think he will benefit from the 90 minutes.
āHeās certainly back now but I donāt think heāll play for us in the Premier League before the World Cup break. But if youāre asking me if heās fit and ready to go, yes he is, and weāre just getting him completely ready now.ā
This isnāt the best news for the club at all, especially with some crucial league matches coming before the World Cup hiatus, and Irons supporters will now have to wait until after Christmas to see the defender in domestic action.
The Morocco international arrived at West Ham in the summer with hopes that he could form the bedrock of a solid Hammers defence this season.
Disaster struck in just his third pre-season match, though, with the 26-year-old suffering a serious ankle injury in a 3-1 defeat to Rangers, and he has subsequently missed all of the east London clubās Premier League matches this season.
He has made an impressive recovery and featured in the last two European matches, averaging an impressive SofaScore rating of 7.3/10, and this may be a sign of good things to come.
By winning 64% of his duels and averaging 89.5 touches per match, the injury hasnāt seemed to affect his physical strength, while his confidence to demand the ball and control possession will be crucial going forward.
With just 18 days remaining until Moroccoās opening World Cup fixture against Croatia, Aguerd at least looks like he will be fighting fit to play an important part in Qatar, but the same can’t be said in terms of his West Ham involvement prior to the tournament.
