West Ham now set to be without 'top, top player' until after Arsenal game

West Ham United will now be without Mohammed Kudus until the start of December after being banned for an additional two games.

Kudus was sent off in the 4-1 defeat at Tottenham in October after clashing with Micky van de Ven and then pushing both the Dutchman and teammate Pape Matar Sarr in the face.

The West Ham player was initially shown a yellow card by referee Andy Madley.

However, this was later upgraded to a red for violent conduct following a VAR check, earning the player an automatic three-match ban.

Kudus was subsequently hit with another violent conduct charge by the Football Association, which has now handed down the additional sanction.

The Ghana international’s total ban stretches to five games, of which two have already taken place.

TBR Football revealed last week that West Ham insiders expected Kudus to be banned for at least two more games.

They feared the ban could have been for a further three games, but that has not proven to be the case.

READ MORE: Julen Lopetegui and Tim Steidten under serious pressure at West Ham as David Sullivan makes decision

How many West Ham games has Kudus missed and how many more will he miss?

Kudus has already missed games against Manchester United and Nottingham Forest due to the initial ban.

This would have concluded this weekend following Saturday’s game against Everton at the London Stadium.

However, Kudus will now also miss the trip to Newcastle United on Monday 25 November and the home game against Arsenal on Saturday 30 November.

The 24-year-old, who Jarrod Bowen previously deemed a “top, top player”, will be eligible to return to action on Tuesday 3 December, when West Ham head to Leicester City.

Kudus said incident left him ‘deeply embarrassed’

According to the written reasons published by the independent regulatory commission, Kudus said he was “deeply embarrassed” by the incident and accepted the charge.

The statement read: “MK [Mohamed Kudus] began his letter by apologising, stating that he was deeply embarrassed by his behaviour in the 20 seconds following his foul on Micky van de Ven.

“He accepted that he had lost his cool and said that his behaviour was out of character.

“He stated that he could not recall the events clearly, but having viewed the footage, he felt that MvdV [Micky van de Ven] had exaggerated the incident as there was minimal contact from him…

“He accepted that he should not have pushed PS [Pape Sarr] in the face and that his action merited a red card. However, he did not injure anyone, or use force.

“MK [Mohamed Kudus] stated that his preparation for the match had been mentally and physically challenging because he had travelled for a midweek international fixture and had received various negative comments on social media.

“He referred to his work within the community and in his home country of Ghana, stressing how he tried to be a role model.”