West Ham United coach, Julen Lopetegui has defended his decision to substitute Mohammed Kudus during their match against Brentford.
The 23-year-old was taken off while West Ham trailed 1-0 at the Gtech Community Stadium last weekend.
Following the game, reports surfaced suggesting tension between Lopetegui and Kudus, with claims that staff had to intervene.
Sources indicated that Kudus was frustrated, reportedly feeling he was being played out of position too often.
Lopetegui, however, downplayed the situation, explaining that the substitution was purely tactical, as some players were not adhering to the game plan.
“It was a tactical substitution, no more. It wasn’t only him, Emerson came out too. It is normal, when you have five substitutions you try to change any things that you think you can do better in the second half, above all if you are losing.
He further emphasized that there was nothing unusual about the situation, stating, “I don’t talk about any reaction or one substitution, for me the whole thing was normal.”
The attacker is expected to be in action when West Ham United host Ipswich Town in the Premier League later today at the London Olympic Stadium.
Kudus, who scored 14 goals in all competitions for West Ham in his debut season, has yet to open his account this season.
He is expected to join the Ghana national team camp on Monday for their upcoming AFCON 2025 qualifiers against Sudan.