Medical insider reveals how long Nayef Aguerd out amid West Ham ligament damage fears
New West Ham signing Nayef Aguerd could be out for as long six weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Aguerd, 26, completed a £30million move to the London Stadium from Rennes last month.
The Moroccan defender went off injured in just his second non-competitive match for the Hammers, the 3-1 defeat to Rangers last Tuesday (19 July).
As quoted by the Daily Mail last Wednesday (20 July), Irons boss David Moyes revealed that there is concern behind the scenes that Aguerd had suffered a twisted ankle or ligament damage.
Dinnery explained the factors that will determine when Aguerd will be fit to play again.
“Moyes initially ruled out the fracture,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“We’ve seen varying timelines. There were rumours that it could be two or even three months.
“We heard Billy McKinley at the away game at Luton say he isn’t going to be available in the short term. Others have said he will make game week one.
“We are only two weeks away from the start of the season. As we build up to that, there is the importance of getting game time in. So, the reality is somewhere in between those two timelines.
“It could be four to six weeks, although it depends how he responds to treatment. It could also still be evolving over the first few days of the injury. These are all factors that can affect the timeline.
“Because he’s a new player, the staff won’t necessarily have the history on the player and the understanding of how he responds to treatment. At this moment in time, it’s difficult to give anything definitive.
“But it’s difficult to see him back for game week one unless we see him on the training pitches in the next few days. We’ll be watching and waiting on this one.”
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