David Moyes shares Mohammed Kudus verdict after another West Ham United snub
David Moyes has admitted that maintaining the balance of his West Ham United side saw him resist the temptation to start Mohammed Kudus against Aston Villa.
The Hammers were beaten 4-1 by Unai Emery’s side on Sunday (23 October) as they got their season back underway following the October international break, but barring Jarrod Bowen’s second-half strike, Moyes’ side struggled to trouble the home side.
There was some frustration from West Ham supporters before kick-off as summer signing Kudus was left out of the starting XI once again, as the Ghanaian continues to wait for his first Premier League start, but Moyes explained his decision-making after the defeat.
As quoted by the Daily Mail (23 October) he said: “I am tempted to start Kudus in every game, but I have to be fair and say the team played quite well and in most games played well. Obviously we have a balance and are trying to get that right as well.
“There have been times where our balance has been very good and got us some good results but now and again it can sometimes cause you problems as well.”
Time to change
While West Ham have been flying in the Premier League, few have been too critical of Moyes’ team selection and in turn, the decision to leave Kudus on the bench domestically, but after Sunday’s heavy defeat something has to change in the Hammers line-up.
Kudus cost the Hammers £38 million [Sky Sports] this summer from Ajax and has shown in his starts in the Europa League that he is more than capable of being the difference maker in Moyes’ side and it is only right that he gets his first full run out in the Premier League.
It is more than likely that the 23-year-old will start the Irons Europa League clash with Olympiacos on Thursday (26 October) and assuming that he gets through that match unscathed, he must start next weekend’s Premier League game against Everton.
Other than Jarrod Bowen, the Hammers have very little firepower in their frontline and Michail Antonio has struggled to be the difference maker at the top of the pitch. Kudus is capable of being that difference maker, especially in tight matches and Moyes is going to have to break his side’s balance if it sees the summer arrival fit in the team.
In other West Ham news, Fabrizio Romano has shared an update on the Saudi interest in Kurt Zouma