West Ham United have six players attending the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar which commences this weekend. It is the first time a middle Eastern country will host the competition throughout its history, and all the 32 teams who’ve qualified are ready to go against each other having announced their squads.
Let’s see how three of those six players could fare in this year’s World Cup as they try to help their nations on the road to glory.
Lucas Paqueta (Brazil)
Paqueta hasn’t had enough playtime in the East London club as he has only made 8 appearances in the Premier League so far. As he prefers playing in a number 10 position, often looking at setting up his teammates in front of the goal; he has only contributed to two goals with both of them being assists. The 25-year-old is an extremely talented player but Tite has a star-studded squad at his disposal to represent Brazil in the World Cup which means Paqeuta would have to fight for a starting place. However, he could be named in the match-day squad if an attacking formation is preferred by the head coach.
Declan Rice (England)
Declan Rice had a slow start to the 2022/23 campaign but has returned to form after producing some dominant displays in the central areas of the field recently. He has managed to find the back of the net on one occasion and create two assists over 15 appearances in the Premier League this season. He would be playing in the holding midfield positions for the England squad although Gareth Southgate has named Jordan Henderson, Jude Bellingham and Kalvin Phillips in the list who will be fighting for a starting place in the same position.
Rice could help the national team dominate possession in the central areas as he remains efficient in distributing the ball and holding onto it under pressure.
Nayef Aguerd (Morocco)
The new summer signing for the Hammers remained sidelined for three months after suffering from an ankle injury and made his debut for West Ham United only recently before being named in the National squad for Morocco. He hasn’t had much game time after recovering but a player of such quality can no doubt add to the defensive department of Walid Regragui. He will be the first-choice centre-back for his side alongside teammate Achraf Hakimi who will also be away from PSG fulfilling his national duties at Qatar.
