FEB 19 — Defender Kurt Zouma should focus on soccer as he deals with the ramifications of a video where he was seen abusing his pet cats, West Ham manager David Moyes said yesterday.

Zouma has apologised after the video showed him slapping the cat and kicking it across the floor, which led to outcry on social media. He is also seen throwing shoes at the animal and chasing it around the room.

The 27-year-old France international pulled out of last week’s 2-2 Premier League draw at Leicester City because of a stomach bug, but Moyes said he could feature against Newcastle United on Saturday.

"He’s better, but it’s taken him a couple of days to get over it. He had a quite bad illness,” Moyes told reporters. "He’s trained the last couple of days so I’m hoping that he’ll be available.

"I think he’s probably really disappointed about what he’s done and he’s thinking about it a lot, no doubt, but overall we have tried to get him to move on.

"He’s really well-liked here amongst the supporters with the performances he’s put in throughout the season already, so hopefully he can focus on his football and we’ll give him as much support as we can until we get him right back to his best.”

West Ham are fifth in the standings with 41 points and face a Newcastle side who have their last three Premier League matches. — Reuters