Tottenham: Roberto De Zerbi told how to get Mohammed Kudus back to his best after injury hell | OneFootball

Ghanaian forward has recently returned from a lengthy layoff and looks more than a little bit rusty

Tottenham legend and former Ghana head coach Chris Hughton believes there is more to come from Mohammed Kudus as he builds his way back to full fitness.

Kudus joined Spurs for £55million from West Ham last summer and made an immediate impact as he produced five assists in his first seven league games.

The 26-year-old’s season was brought to a premature end, though, after he suffered a serious quad injury against Sunderland in January.

Having been left out of Ghana’s World Cup squad, Spurs hoped Kudus would have the luxury of a full pre-season to regain sharpness ahead of the new campaign.

However, his minutes were limited, with the club’s medical team anxious to avoid a repeat of the setback he sustained in April.

Back in the fold: Mohammed Kudus

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After a couple of cameo appearances off the bench, Kudus made his first competitive start in eight months as Spurs were beaten 3-1 by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup last week.

Despite grabbing an assist for Conor Gallagher’s consolation goal, Spurs’ first league goal of the season, Kudus looked well off the pace.

After so long out, it is understandable that Kudus is lacking match fitness, and Hughton, who worked with Kudus at Ghana between February 2023 and January 2024, believes once he regains his sharpness he will elevate Spurs’ ailing attack.

“I think he made a decent impression when he came in last season, but of course the injury curtailed that. So he now needs to get back to full fitness, but he's technically a good player,” Hughton said, speaking at the unveiling of the Hall of Fame installation at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Chris Hughton expects big things from Mohammed Kudus

PA

“He has Premier League experience, and he's another one where I think there's more to come from him.”

Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi has said Kudus, who has been omitted from Ghana’s squad ahead of the international break to continue his rehabilitation at Hotspur Way, can play through the middle and on either wing as he looks for solutions to James Maddison’s ongoing fitness issues.

Kudus’ versatility was used to great effect at West Ham, and Hughton thinks Spurs are missing a trick by not trying him out in different positions.

“He did well at West Ham. The way that David Moyes is, and because he had Bowen in there as well, he'd move him around in a few positions,” Hughton continued.

“So I think because of the type of player that he is, there's still some flexibility in where he can play.

“Predominantly, he's played on that right-hand side, left-footed cutting in. But technically he's a very good player, a very strong player.”