£30m West Ham man should miss Anderlecht Europa Conference League clash after reports of behind the scenes concerns

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West Ham centre-back Kurt Zouma needs to sit out the UEFA Europa Conference League clash with Anderlecht on Thursday night.

The Hammers head out to Belgium to take on Anderlecht in the first of a double header that will most likely decide who will win Group B.

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David Moyes will undoubtedly pick a strong West Ham team to face the Belgians in the Europa Conference League, but we think one man in particular needs a rest.

Kurt Zouma has struggled with serious knee problems throughout his entire career to date with Saint-Etienne, Chelsea and West Ham.

In fact, the powers that be at the London Stadium are allegedly privately worried about Zouma’s physical problems behind closed doors.

And in my view, Moyes needs to act before Zouma suffers a serious problem…

West Ham ace Kurt Zouma needs to be rested for Europa Conference League clash

The Hammers signed the 27-year-old from Chelsea in the summer of 2021 for around £30 million (BBC).

Zouma has been a great signing for West Ham but he has experienced a fair amount of injury problems. He spent a couple of months on the sidelines last season.

And Moyes has already admitted they he chose to leave Zouma out against Silkeborg due to concerns about how his knees would react on the artificial pitch.

The Frenchman looked fairly shaky during our opening few Premier League games this season. And in spite of showing slight signs of improvement, he certainly hasn’t been the dominant force that he was last term.

The 27-year-old has had long-standing problems with his knees that go back to 2016 when he was with Chelsea.

Zouma’s move to West Ham last summer was actually in danger of collapsing at the final hurdle due to complications with his medical pertaining to his troublesome knee, according to the Mirror.

I think it’s obvious to see that the ex-Chelsea man has obviously been struggling with his fitness during the early stages of the Premier League season.

David Moyes and his staff must see this as well.

Time for a break in Europe for West Ham man

Resting Zouma for the Anderlecht vs West Ham Europa Conference League clash is an absolute must in my opinion.

Moyes then has a few options.

He could start Angelo Ogbonna and Craig Dawson in the heart of defence, with either Vladimir Coufal or Thilo Kehrer at right-back.

Or he could start Kehrer at centre-back alongside either Ogbonna or Dawson.

One thing’s for sure, Zouma needs a rest. His knees are clearly more problematic than they should be for someone his age.

West Ham need a good result against Anderlecht in the Europa Conference League clash tomorrow night. A full strength team will undoubtedly be needed from Moyes. But sometimes, preserving someone who is a key player is more important in the long-run.

And Zouma certainly fits into that category for West Ham.

Let’s hope that whatever happens, the Hammers get the job done on the night. And getting the three points without Kurt Zouma would be a big bonus in my opinion.

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