David Moyes bemoans absence of Mohammed Kudus against Brighton

West Ham United manager David Moyes expressed disappointment over the absence of Mohammed Kudus in the game against Brighton and Hove Albion.

The Ghanaian international did not feature for West Ham, reportedly due to the FA blocking him from playing ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023, where he is part of the Black Stars squad.

Chris Hughton, the manager of West Ham's opponents Brighton, had earlier mentioned that Kudus would not be reporting to the national team camp early due to a knock.

However, Moyes indicated that the decision to prevent Kudus from playing was not ideal, especially as other teams were allowed to field their African players.

"It’s been a fair programme for this time of year for what it could be, but our programme before that wasn’t overly fair.

You could argue about fairness in terms of not being able to play Mohammed Kudus or Nayef Aguerd tonight, but other teams could play their African players," he said after the goalless draw against Brighton.

While acknowledging that the overall fixture schedule has been relatively fair, Moyes highlighted the challenges faced by teams with African players as they head to the AFCON.

Kudus, who joined West Ham from Ajax, has been a key player for the club, contributing ten goals across various competitions.

The AFCON 2023 is set to take place in Cote D'Ivoire from January 13 to February 11, and several Premier League clubs are navigating the impact of losing key players to international duty.