Although West Ham doesn’t have any games until after the international break, David Moyes has still got a potential headache to worry about.
Two of his stars are set to clash in a head-to-head between Brazil and Morocco, and the Scot can do without either player being injured for the Premier League run-in.
The two players in question are Brazil’s Lucas Paqueta and Moroccan, Nayef Aguerd, who signed for a combined €77m (£67.3m) according to transfermarkt.
Their respective countries will play each other in a friendly in Tangiers on March 25th, which falls just eight days before a real relegation ‘six-pointer’ against Southampton.
To coin a phrase, every game is a final now, and Moyes will need all of his players available, fit, and firing.
There can be no slackers at this stage of the season, particularly given how perilously close the Hammers remain to the drop zone.
Aguerd has been a strong presence since joining the east Londoners, and whilst Paqueta hasn’t quite set the English top-flight alight, his skill set isn’t in question.
Both will surely be readily called upon by Moyes for the remaining 12 games of the 2022/23 campaign – as long as they remain unscathed and injury free over the course of the next fortnight.
International breaks generally are a worrying time for managers, but rarely can there have been a club in relegation trouble that has so many players on international duty.
Declan Rice is another that needs to keep himself in cotton wool where possible.
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