MusaMohammed Kudus has reportedly decided to remain with Tottenham Hotspur during the current international break instead of joining up with the Ghana national team, with the forward prioritising his fitness and match sharpness.
The 26-year-old has endured a difficult period since suffering a hamstring injury during Tottenham’s Premier League clash with Sunderland on January 4. Although he has recently returned to first-team action, Kudus has not started a Premier League match since that injury.
He has featured from the bench in each of Spurs’ last four league fixtures and was handed a starting role in last Tuesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Liverpool.
Understandably, Kudus has looked short of his best as he continues to regain his rhythm. However, he provided an important contribution during Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Aston Villa, registering his first assist of the season when he set up Conor Gallagher for Tottenham’s opening Premier League goal of the campaign.
Kudus also appeared to have found the net himself early in the second half after being introduced following the interval. However, the goal was eventually ruled out after VAR determined that Andy Robertson had been offside during the build-up.
Ghana head coach Carlos Queiroz had included Kudus in his squad for the latest international window, giving the Tottenham attacker an opportunity to represent his country for the first time this year. Kudus had previously missed out after suffering another hamstring setback during training in April, which prevented him from featuring for Ghana at the World Cup.
However, Kudus has now opted to withdraw from the squad ahead of Ghana’s upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifying matches against Ivory Coast and Gambia.
The decision will allow the Tottenham forward to remain at Hotspur Way and focus on rebuilding his fitness and sharpness during the three-week international break.
His absence from international duty could prove useful for Roberto De Zerbi, particularly with Tottenham currently sitting at the bottom of the Premier League table after five matches despite their extensive summer spending.
De Zerbi has repeatedly highlighted Kudus’ importance to his plans, and the former West Ham star now has valuable time to continue working towards full fitness.
Kudus is not the only Tottenham player who could benefit from the extended period of preparation. James Maddison, Conor Gallagher, Dominic Solanke, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marcos Senesi, Savio and Destiny Udogie are also expected to use the international break to improve their fitness and build greater match sharpness.
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