When David Moyes signed Nayef Aguerd for West Ham United in the summer for a fee of £30m, the Moroccan defender seemed in line to be a sure starter in the heart of their defence.
Unfortunately, he suffered a serious ankle injury against Rangers in a pre-season friendly, which disrupted his season before he even made a competitive appearance.
He finally made his debut against Silkeborg in the Europa Conference League in October, five months after signing for the Irons, and Moyes eased him back in gently, selecting him for just three more matches before the World Cup break.
This was obviously the best decision as Aguerd was subsequently selected for the Morocco squad for the tournament in Qatar and played an integral part as the Atlas Lions made history by becoming the first African nation to reach a World Cup semi-final.
The £50k-per-week titan played a part in his country’s first four matches at the tournament, but he was substituted against Spain with a thigh problem and was left out of the quarter-final clash against Portugal.
Although named in the starting line-up for the semi-final against France, he was withdrawn shortly before kick-off, and it is uncertain whether he will feature in the third-place play-off on Saturday.
Despite his tournament being interrupted, he received a rating of 7/10 from Sofascore and was part of a defence which kept three clean sheets in the four matches that he played.
Defensively he was a rock, winning 69% of his total duels while making one interception, one tackle and three clearances per match, and journalist Jonty Colman said it was “absolutely superb to see Nayef Aguerd part of the history-making Morocco side”.
His performances will certainly have given Moyes a significant boost heading into what looks like a crucial second half of the season for West Ham. With the Irons already conceding 17 goals as they occupy 16th place in the Premier League table, the Scot will be desperate for the 26-year-old to shore up the team’s leaky defence.
The Boxing Day clash against Arsenal might come too soon for Aguerd, but the signs look promising that he can become a hero for West Ham heading into 2023, just like how he was for Morocco in Qatar.
Off the back of his World Cup performances, Moyes must unleash him fully once the defender is fully fit again.