So far, so very good for Mohammed Kudus in his West Ham career.
The 23-year-old Ghanaian attacker has already become a terrace hero for the London Stadium faithful, and his removal from the side for African Cup of Nations (AFCON) duties has come at precisely the wrong time for David Moyes.
The Hammers are flying high thanks in no small part to Kudus’ goals and the way in which he’s dovetailed with the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Jarrod Bowen.
Currently in sixth place in the Premier League, the upsetting of team equilibrium could have a devastating effect on West Ham’s ambitions this season.
Help, however, may bizarrely be at hand thanks to Ghana’s poor form.
According to WhoScored, they’ve failed to score in four of their last five matches. In their last friendly prior to AFCON, they still didn’t find the net against Namibia, the minnows holding their more illustrious opponents to a goalless draw.
That offers Moyes the glimmer of hope that Ghana will fare so poorly in the competition that Kudus could be available well before the predicted February 17 return date.
For now, the east Londoners need to get on with it without one of their best players, and hope that his absence doesn’t have a marked effect on results.
Chris Houghton managing Ghana almost guarantees no goals ( remember him managing Brighton 0 ) , so perhaps Westham get Kudus back early and uninjured .