Julen Lopetegui must axe Mohammed Kudus after what West Ham United ace did v minnows
Julen Lopetegui must give thought to axing Mohammed Kudus after the West Ham United star dropped a stinker on the international stage.
Kudus wore the armband and played the full 90 minutes for Ghana as they succumbed to a 2-0 loss to Sudan in the AFCON qualifiers on Tuesday (15 October).
The Black Stars now sit third in their group with just points and face the prospect of missing out on AFCON qualifications.
Kudus, who captained Ghana in Thomas Partey’s absence, must take some blame for it as he failed to step up for his team when needed.
Julen Lopetegui must axe West Ham United ace Mohammed Kudus
While no one can deny the 24-year-old’s quality, there is no argument that he has been far from his best this season.
Against Sudan, Kudus managed to get only one of his shots on target and missed one big chance (FotMob).
The former Ajax attacker was also careless in possession as he completed just 14 of his 21 passes with 67 per cent accuracy.
Kudus, who missed a sitter in the Black Stars’ stalemate against Sudan in the reverse fixture on 10 October, is a regular set-piece taker for the team but had a zero success rate in crosses this time.
He was ineffective in duels as well, losing eight of his 14 attempts and committing three fouls.
Kudus has now gone seven games without scoring a goal for the four-time African champions, while netting just once in nine outings for West Ham this season.
Lopetegui must therefore consider dropping the winger from his starting lineup to face Tottenham on Saturday (19 October).
It is perhaps time for the manager to put his trust in Crysencio Summerville, who has started just one league game since arriving from Leeds in the summer.
In other West Ham news, Edson Alvarez has addressed rumours linking him with a move to AC Milan.
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