David Moyes has confirmed Mohammed Kudus is ‘very close’ to making his first Premier League start for West Ham United.
Kudus, a summer signing from Eredivisie side Ajax, made a phenomenal impact from the bench in the Hammers’ last Premier League outing, firing in a blistering late equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Newcastle United.
The Ghanaian international has impressed in each of his eight appearances in Claret and Blue so far and, having made starts in the Carabao Cup and UEFA Europa League, manager Moyes has suggested the 23-year-old could make his first league start for the Irons this Sunday against Aston Villa.
“He is very close to playing,” he said. “But to be fair to him, he was close when he arrived. Sometimes players come in at different levels of fitness and you need time to figure out where they are at, but Mo could play now and he has been playing.
“He’s been playing for Ghana and he came off the bench [against Newcastle] and made a brilliant impact for us, and that’s what we need. We need more than eleven players. We need a group of players who, when called on, can make a difference.”
Kudus was one of eleven senior players away on international duty over the last two weeks, and the manager has been buoyed by each of them returning from their respective national teams without any injuries.
“The internationals all seem okay,” Moyes continued. “We’ve seen two of them today [Friday] for the first time, which is not ideal, but the game being on Sunday helps us a little bit.
“At the moment, the internationals all seem okay.”
Defensive duo Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson has been dealing with minor issues prior to the international break. Cresswell has been working his way back from a hamstring injury while Johnson has been dealing with a groin problem.
Moyes said that the two full-backs had returned to training but was uncertain if either would be ready for Sunday’s trip to Villa Park.
He added: “Both Aaron and Ben have joined in training. Ben is maybe a bit further forward than Aaron but they’re both making good progress.
“They’re back in amongst the rest of the players but are they quite ready yet? I’m not quite sure.”
