By Dave Langton

Both Declan Rice and Nayef Aguerd have suffered World Cup heartbreak in recent days, and that could be bad news for the Irons.

Declan played in every England game at the tournament and was bullish about his country’s chances of winning the entire tournament.

However, they were beaten 2-1 by France in the quarter-finals, with Harry Kane missing a late penalty that could have forced extra time.

Aguerd, by comparison, was a late withdrawal from Morocco’s team to play France in the semi-final, and they went on to lose 2-0.

Now, both players are set to return to West Ham next week, ahead of the Boxing Day fixture against Arsenal.

The duo will be expected to merely shrug off their own heartache and get their heads back in the game as the Irons look to climb clear of the relegation zone.

But can we expect them to do so within a fortnight of their heart breaking exits.

If Declan isn’t right, the Hammers are going to struggle.

We have to hope he is raring to go, and not suffering a World Cup hangover.