West Ham United manager David Moyes has revealed why Kurt Zouma was left out of the squad in their game against Leicester City. The former Chelsea defender was in action against Watford on Tuesday but withdrew from the starting line-up before Sunday’s draw at Leicester because of “illness”.
David Moyes said they should not allow the whole cat video thing to blight anything which has gone on before. He said: “A player has made a mistake and there are plenty of managers with players who have made mistakes.” “Somewhere along the line you always hope there is a little bit of forgiveness and people are willing to accept they made a mistake, given an apology and we hope that is the case.”
Zouma has had his cats taken away by animal charity the RSPCA and his deal with sportswear firm Adidas has ended. Zouma apologised for his actions but controversially played in the 1-0 victory over Watford. Moyes made it clear that the player’s absence was not because of the video but because the player had an illness.
West Ham secured a sixth-place finish last season, just two points off a Champions League spot, and are impressing again this term, fourth in the table and into the knockout stages of the Europa League.