West Ham United manager, David Moyes, expressed uncertainty regarding Mohammed Kudus’ participation in the match against Brighton tonight, just before the player joins Ghana’s pre-2023 Africa Cup of Nations camp in Kumasi.
The Black Stars officially kicked off their camp today as they gear up for the upcoming tournament in Ivory Coast.
However, Kudus is anticipated to join the camp later this week. Notably, Ghana declined a request from the Premier League club to include Kudus in their lineup for the game against Brighton.
In the pre-match discussion, Moyes conveyed optimism about Kudus’ potential availability for the game, but he highlighted the lack of confirmation regarding the departure dates for players heading to the Africa Cup of Nations.
“Well, I can’t give you an answer on that either because we have known we have got three or four players who are due to go for the Africa Cup of Nations. We have not had confirmation on any of them really on the join-up day, which is incredibly strange that has not come about. You would have thought that would have been ready by now, and we are still waiting on that. He (Kudus) is a really important player, so he will be to any team. We are hoping that there is a chance he could be [available for the Brighton],” Moyes explained.
Black Stars head coach, Chris Hughton, revealed in a press conference on Monday that the 23-year-old Kudus has a slight injury, leading to his delayed entry into the camp.
Despite the setback, Kudus is expected to play a vital role for Ghana in the tournament, having missed out on the previous edition in Cameroon in 2021.