Julen Lopetegui's West Ham debut came in a 2-1 defeat at home against Aston Villa. However, there were a few West Ham players who stood out with their brilliant performance in the match.
One of them is star forward Mohammed Kudus. The creative playmaker made two key passes against Villa and constantly tried to find a goal to level the match. Kudus completed 23 out of 27 passes and created one big chance as well.
Jamie Redknapp praises West Ham star in the first match
Apart from that, his dribbling and pace helped the forwards to advance inside the final third and create several big chances throughout the match. After the game, Sky Sports analyst Jamie Redknapp praised Kudus for his brilliant performance, saying,
"Yeah, I thought towards the end of last season, playing against Man City, some of the things he did in there. He has got tremendous skill, strength. He is going to be one of the stars of the season."Jamie Redknapp
Despite West Ham's defeat, this was a great performance from Kudus. However, left wing is not his preferred position and the 24-year-old prefers playing centrally behind the centre forward. Thus, manager Julen Lopetegui should start new signing Cryscencio Summerville at the left wing position. Further, Fullkrug should start as the centre forward instead of Michail Antonio in the next game.
Meanwhile, West Ham are considering signing Roma striker Tammy Abraham to play alongside Fullkrug at centre forward. Julen Lopetegui's side will face Crystal Palace in the second match in the Premier League on Saturday.
In the next game, most of the new signings are expected to start as manager Julen Lopetegui wants a great performance and a win in the second league match.