Mohammed Kudus's wait for a first Premier League start goes on as he is named on the bench against Aston Villa.
West Ham manager David Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference that the £31million summer signing is “very close” to being named in his starting XI after he scored a brilliant late equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle before the international break.
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“He is very close to playing,” said Moyes. “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.”
West Ham have no fresh injuries after the international break.
Moyes said on Friday: "The international lads, at the moment, they seem okay. We saw two of them for the first time this morning but the game being on Sunday helps us.
"Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson are coming on. I think Ben might just be a bit ahead but, are they ready yet? I'm not quite sure yet."
Neither are included in the squad here, as West Ham go with the same side that drew against Newcastle last time. A settled midfield featuring Lucas Paqueta on the wing and Tomas Soucek in an advanced role has been working well for the side sat seventh in the Premier League table.
West Ham XI: Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Aguerd, Emerson, Ward-Prowse, Alvarez, Soucek, Paqueta, Bowen, Antonio.
Subs: Fabianski, Fornals, Kudus, Mavropanos, Ings, Ogbonna, Benrahma, Kehrer, Mubama.
Time and date: 4.30pm, Sunday October 22, 2023
Venue: Villa Park
