West Ham star ruled out for five weeks; will miss Newcastle United and Arsenal fixtures

West Ham United will be missing one of their main players when they face Newcastle United in little over a week.

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In the Hammers’ 4-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur last month, Mohammed Kudus received a red card for punching Micky van de Ven in the face.

Referee Andy Madley first gave Kudus a yellow card, but after a VAR check, he was elevated to a red card for aggressive behaviour, resulting in an automatic three-match suspension.

However, the FA charged him with another aggressive act and imposed an extra punishment.

The 24-year-old has already missed games against Manchester United, Nottingham Forest, and Everton. He will also miss the Hammers’ upcoming matches against Newcastle and Arsenal.

Kudus, who scored twice against Newcastle last season, is next eligible for West Ham’s trip to Leicester City on December 2. He won’t have played club football in five weeks.

According to the written reasons provided by the independent regulatory authority, Kudus stated that he was “deeply embarrassed” by the occurrence and accepted the accusation.

It read: “MK [Mohamed Kudus] opened his letter by apologising, indicating that he was profoundly ashamed by his actions in the 20 seconds after his foul on Micky van de Ven.

“He admitted that he had lost his cool and that his actions were out of character.

“He indicated that he did not recollect the events well, but after reviewing the tape, he thought that MvdV [Micky van de Ven] had exaggerated the incident because there was little touch from him…He said that he should not have shoved PS [Pape Sarr] in the face, and that his actions deserved a red card. However, he did not damage anyone or use force.

“MK [Mohamed Kudus] stated that his preparation for the match had been mentally and physically difficult because he had travelled for a midweek international match and had received numerous negative comments on social media.” He spoke about his community service and work in Ghana, emphasising his desire to be a role model.