Game of Eleven

Kurt Zouma was actually ill with Frank McAvennie saying he was told by someone that the under-fire West Ham player was always likely to miss the Leicester game.

Zouma, 27, was set to start at the King Power Stadium on Sunday but moments before kick-off, he was replaced by Issa Diop due to an illness.

There were grounds to doubt whether that was the real reason behind Zouma’s absence with the recent cat-kicking controversy still being widely talked about in the media.

However, ex-Irons strikers McAvennie was told even before the trip to Leicester that Zouma was under the weather.

Speaking to West Ham Zone, McAvennie said: “You have to take the player and the manager at their word.

“Someone told me Zouma wasn’t feeling well the day before the game so that checks out.

“I don’t think he would have been stopped from playing because of what happened.

“He’s played since and clearly didn’t have a problem with it.

“Moyes is a good man and I trust him. If he says Zouma was ill, he was ill.”

Zouma started the 1-0 win over Watford, which came less than 24 hours after the video of him kicking a cat spread online like wildfire.

He’s since apologised for the incident and been fined two weeks’ wages by the Hammers while the RSPCA have also seized the defender’s cats [Sky Sports].

Next up for West Ham is a home game against in-form Newcastle on Saturday and it remains to be seen whether Zouma will be available.