MOHAMMED KUDUS has singled out Luke Shaw as his toughest opponent in the Premier League.
The clashes between West Ham and Manchester United resulted in a 2-0 win for the Hammers at the London Stadium followed by a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford.
On both occasions the Ghana international was faced with Shaw’s defensive prowess.
But the 23-year-old told the Times that none of the games this season have been easy and the Premier League standard surpasses that of the Eredivise where he previously played for Ajax.
He said: “You can’t underrate any team. Every game is difficult. When I was at Ajax, if you went in 60 per cent, 70 per cent you were still going to win.
“But here even the small teams can surprise. Every game is work time and you can’t switch off. I love it, you know.”
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Shaw has been out of action since suffering a hamstring problem two months ago.
And Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate admitted this week that it was “highly unlikely” that he could rely on him for the Euros this summer.
But United manager Erik ten Hag has revealed the 28-year-old will be back in action sooner rather than later.
Meanwhile, Kudus could have joined the ranks of the Red Devils star, as he was previously part of Ten Hag’s former side at Ajax.
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The Dutchman has a reputation for recruiting players from his former club.
However, when the opportunity arose to buy a winger Ten Hag chose Antony instead.
Unfortunately, the Brazilian has not lived up to his £82m price tag since joining the Red Devils.
Antony has score just two goals this season for the Red Devils.
In his debut season for David Moyes’ side, Kudus has been instrumental, scoring 11 goals with six in the Premier League.
When he finds the back of the net, fans can anticipate his infamous “Kudus celebration”, which several players have now emulated.
During this unique celebration, the Ghanaian sits on an advertising board, facing the pitch, with his back to the crowd — a memorable sight for West Ham supporters.
And many stars has been spotted copying the celebration such as United trio Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo.
Kudus joked that if players continue to copy him they will have to start paying taxes.
He said: “I wanted to do something out of the box because most celebrations are pretty normal, sliding and stuff.
“I wanted to add more meaning to me scoring. It’s all about sitting down, resting after scoring a goal, but literally there’s no deeper meaning than that.
“Even when I [first] did it there were talks that people were doing it before, though I didn’t see anybody doing it that way.
“But, yeah, [other players] are allowed to do it — but soon they will have to start paying taxes.”
West Ham return to action on Saturday when they face Newcastle at St James’ Park.
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They also still remain in line for Europa League glory after making it through to the quarter-finals.
Looking to add on their Conference League triumph from last season, David Moyes’ side will face Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the last eight next month.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
