West Ham: £30m star could make 'important' return soon at London Stadium | OneFootball

West Ham United suffered a ‘massive setback’ when they lost summer signing Nayef Aguerd to injury on the eve of the campaign, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The 26-year-old is yet to make his debut for his new employers after he suffered a serious ankle issue against Rangers in a pre-season friendly but is now closing in on a return to action.

West Ham splashed out £30 million to prise Aguerd away from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes back in June, tying him down to a five-year contract after fending off competition from Newcastle United.

However, the Morocco international had to undergo surgery after making just a couple of appearances for the Hammers, much to the disappointment of manager David Moyes.

“That is a huge blow to us. We signed a centre-back and he gets injured in the first or second game. He has had an operation and we think he will probably be back in 10 weeks,” Moyes told Football.London.

The original timeframe given by the 59-year-old tactician would have seen Aguerd return by the end of October, and it seems he is on track to do just that.

A recent post on social media showed the central defender back in the gym at the club’s training ground, sparking hope of an imminent return to action amongst the West Ham fanbase.

What has Jones said about Aguerd?

Jones believes you ‘can’t really explain how important’ Aguerd’s return to fitness will be for West Ham following their underwhelming start to the current campaign.

He told GiveMeSport: “You can’t really explain enough how important it is that they have him back. He was such a good piece of early business, and they were so happy to have him through the door.

“So, to lose him before the season began was a massive setback, and it’s definitely impacted their start to the season.”

How good is Aguerd?

Aguerd registered an impressive four goals and three assists in 40 appearances last season, helping Rennes achieve a fourth-placed finish in Ligue 1.

As per WhoScored, the 6 foot 2 ace won 3.1 aerial duels while also averaging four clearances and 0.5 blocks per top-flight fixture, placing him in the top four for each metric when compared to his teammates.

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The left-footed defender is also accomplished with the ball at his feet, though, and averaged 70.8 passes and 5.6 long balls, the highest tallies amongst outfield players for Rennes in 2021/22.

If Aguerd can replicate that sort of form in a West Ham shirt, then Moyes will surely be hopeful that his side can climb up the Premier League standings.