West Ham centre-back Nayef Aguerd could be available to face Arsenal on Boxing Day, according to ExWHUemployee.

Writing on his Patreon page, the insider said that the Moroccan international should be ready to take part in the game at the Emirates as long as he has fully recovered from a thigh problem:

“West Ham will be looking to do their own medical assessment on his thigh before deciding what training and availability he has but there will now be hopes that the centre-back can be available for our first league game back.”

Aguerd did not feature in the 2-0 defeat to France in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday evening. He was initially selected in the starting eleven but national team head coach Walid Regragui later confirmed that he was withdrawn from the team due to illness rather than injury.

The 26-year-old had been suffering with flu in the days leading up to the game but it seems that the thigh issues that had restricted his involvement in the tournament are no longer a concern.

Since the Hammers signed Aguerd from Rennes for £30m last summer, the defender has only managed to make four appearances due to fitness problems. He picked up an ankle injury in pre-season and only made his competitive debut against Silkeborg at the back end of October.