Kurt Zouma ‘deeply regrets’ as West Ham boss Moyes says he has a duty of care to give the star all the support he needs

DAVID MOYES admits he has a duty of care to look into Kurt Zouma’s mental health and help him deal with the disaster caused by the shame of his kicking cat.

But West Ham The manager warned the French defender to expect fan rage at Leicester today.

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Moyeswho was crucified for picking Zouma in the midweek win over Watford, said:The boy is very sorry.

“He’s really disappointed with his actions.

“So we have a duty of care. Even the mental health aspect of things, we’re trying to make sure we give him every opportunity and we’re supporting him as well.

“He know he made a mistake and his family knew they were wrong about the whole situation.

“The important thing for me is how long are we going to leave him, when is the right time to bring him back, is it two games, four games, six games?

“So he played. It won’t make any other game any easier.

But I can think of other people in other walks of life who made mistakes and sometimes, these days, it just doesn’t seem like an apology is enough to fix things – and he did. ”

Sponsors have suspended contracts with West Ham following an exclusive story by The Sun on Tuesday.

The Hammers have also stepped in to condemn their handling of the scandal.

Moyes worries it will eclipse all that the club has achieved recently, on and off the pitch.

He added: “What the club has done in the East End is amazing.

“We need people to look beyond it and look at the football club and see we’ve made great strides.

“The team has certainly made great strides and the football club themselves have also made great strides in what they are trying to do.

“I’ve said before, I want this to be a new West Ham, a West Ham with young fans.

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“I love seeing all the kids wearing the ribbons, that they have new heroes like Declan RiceTomas Soucek, Miki Antonio.

“So that’s a big thing for the region and we know the damage this has caused.

“But we’re going to do everything we can to fix it and do everything we can to try and get some positivity out of an obviously very negative situation.”

Watford fans booed every touch of the 27-year-old Zouma at the London Stadium on Tuesday night.

But the Frenchman and teammates can expect an even hotter reception today at Leicester’s King Power in their first away game since the story broke.

Moyes, 58, said: “If I take away Kurt’s situation, I still think it’s going to be a tough game.

“They have created a really good atmosphere there over the years.

“Of course, we knew we were going to make a little more noise because of the situation with Kurt.

“But as a team and as individuals, we and he will have to expect that.”

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