£11m West Ham man Nikola Vlasic has suffered an injury in his World Cup opener ahead of a potential January sale.
West Ham spent £170m on eight signings in the summer.
But it was one player David Moyes decided to ship out that raised eyebrows among some West Ham fans.
Nikola Vlasic cost West Ham £26m in the 2021 summer window, but it was a deal that could have reached as much as £33m with certain clauses being met.
Vlasic was shipped out on loan to Serie A side Torino this summer with the Italian club also having the option to make the move permanent.
Many West Ham fans felt Vlasic was not given a fair crack of the whip in his preferred central number 10 role.
After loaning the 25-year-old to Torino, West Ham went out and spent nearly £70m on Maxwel Cornet and Lucas Paqueta.
So regardless of how Vlasic fares with Torino – and given that an option to buy was inserted in the deal – his long-term future looks almost certain to be away from West Ham.
A West Ham insider recently revealed a fee of just £11.3m has already been agreed between the Hammers and Torino to make Vlasic’s deal permanent – probably as early as January given reported interest from other clubs.
Vlasic has shone in Italy establishing himself as a key player for his new side with goals and assists. And he has been carrying that form over to the national side too.
So much so he started for Croatia in their game against Morocco on Wednesday, where Vlasic faced another big money Hammers signing, Nayef Aguerd.
But £11m West Ham man Vlasic has suffered an injury in his World Cup opener ahead of his potential January sale.
Vlasic was starting to look dangerous in a central role in the first half against Morocco. The West Ham loan ranger had the best chance of the game when he ghosted into the box on the stroke of half-time but saw his effort saved at point blank range.
He had another chance moments later but his half volley was brilliantly blocked by Aguerd.
Prior to that Vlasic had gone down and needed treatment as he felt his leg following a challenge.
West Ham’s £11m asset hobbled back on and finished the half strongly. But he was withdrawn at half-time with commentators confirming he was injured.
What the injury is and how long it is likely to keep him out for remains to be seen.