After making the switch to the Premier League last summer, Nayef Aguerd is looking forward to facing his former side on Saturday in the pre-season.
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West Ham United’s fixture against Stade Rennais on Saturday will be more than just a friendly for Nayef Aguerd. The Morocco centre-back spent couple of years at Roazhon Park during his time with the Ligue 1 outfit. On Saturday, his new club West Ham will face Rennes for a pre-season game that will undoubtedly bring back some good old memories for the Morocco defender.
After making the switch to the Premier League last summer, Nayef Aguerd is looking forward to facing his former side on Saturday in the pre-season. “I’m very happy to go back there. I have a lot of friends there, both players and people that work behind the scenes at the Club. Stade Rennais and everyone there helped me a lot and I am where I am today because of the people at that club,” he told whufc.com.
“They gave me the chance to show my qualities and we also got to play Champions League football as well. Roazhon Park is a brilliant stadium too and the atmosphere was always unbelievable, so for sure it will be an emotional game for me.”
Aguerd’s first season at West Ham United was filled with multiple highs and lows. After being injured in the pre-season last year, he missed quite a few weeks on recovery. However, he recovered in time to play a part in Morocco securing an astounding fourth place in the 2022 World Cup. The defender followed it by helping West Ham winning the Europa Conference League trophy to end the season on a high.
“It was about this time last year, against Rangers, that the injury happened. Of course, it was a horrible moment. I was very sad. It took a lot of hard work to get back but now it’s behind me, a good few months behind me, and now I’m looking forward to showing more of qualities,” he explained.
He added: “I think the West Ham fans have started to get to know me in the games I played last season, but the injury really stopped me from showing a lot in the first half of the season. But, on the other side, I got to play in a World Cup with my country and I also got to win an amazing trophy with this Club. They’re the big, amazing moments from last season that I’ll always carry with me.”
Ahead of Saturday’s friendly, Aguerd also spoke about what to expect from the Rennes squad. “Rennes play a collective game. I can’t pick just one or two players to pick out because, obviously I know the manager there very well, and he doesn’t like focusing on the individuals in the team. It is about the unit; the team as a whole. That’s the philosophy of the entire club. As a defender, my job will be to stop their attacking players, and I know they have a lot of quality, but I’m looking forward to it,” he explained.
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