New West Ham signing Aguerd undergoes ankle surgery

New West Ham signing Nayef Aguerd has undergone surgery after sustaining an ankle injury in a pre-season friendly. 

The Hammers spent a reported £30million to sign Aguerd from Rennes in June but he is now a doubt for the start of the new season after being forced off in the first half of last Tuesday’s 3-1 loss to Rangers at Ibrox. 

West Ham did not give a time frame for the Morocco defender’s return to action, with David Moyes’ side entertaining Premier League champions Manchester City in their opening game of the season on August 7. 

Aguerd was signed after playing a role in 19 clean sheets in Ligue 1 over the previous two seasons with Rennes. The only defenders with more were Wout Faes (20), Marquinhos (26), Sven Botman (28) and Jose Fonte (29). 

Across the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Premier League campaigns, Aaron Creswell (18) was the West Ham defender with the most clean sheets.

At the other end of the pitch, the Hammers could well be boosted by the arrival of Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo. 

Sassuolo chief executive Giovanni Carnevali confirmed at the weekend that a deal was in place, with the transfer believed to be worth £35.5m. 

Italy international Scamacca was reported to be set for a medical in London on Monday.