Following a great debut season at the London Stadium registering 20 goal contributions last year, much was expected from star forward Mohammed Kudus, who hasn't enjoyed a great start to the new season. There are also rumours surrounding the former Ajax star regarding an exit from the London Stadium next season, with Premier League side Liverpool interested in securing the services of the 24-year-old playmaker to replace their star forward Mohammad Salah. However Kudus displayed a much improved performance against Ipswich Town as he scored an important 2-1 goal to give the lead to the home side, who went on to take a massive 4-1 win before the international break.
Hence, Kudus has taken a good momentum before the international break and would want to replicate his goalscoring form for the Ghana national team as well. Ghana are playing the Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and have recently given the captain's armband to Kudus, after a rather underwhelming start in the group stage with a draw and a defeat after the first two matches. Leading the national team at the age of 24 is a huge achievement for Kudus and it signifies his progress in the recent seasons as a versatile playmaker, who can operate on both flanks as well as the centre forward position.
West Ham star captains his national team in 0-0 draw
Recently Kudus led the Ghana national team against Sudan, with an aim to take a much needed win in the third match. Despite an encouraging performance from Kudus, Ghana didn't manage to find the back of the net and had to settle for a 0-0 draw with high-flying Sudan, who are currently second in the group behind Angola. Ghana are currently third in the league and will have to turn things around quickly in order to finish inside the top two places and directly qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Therefore, Kudus currently has an added responsibility of leading the national team alongside scoring goals and thus, would want to return to his prolific goalscoring form quickly for both club and country. Moreover, West Ham will also face top Premier League sides including Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspurs in their next six matches after the international break and will again rely on Kudus to take a lot of wins and increase their efforts towards securing a top six Premier League finish.