Mohammed Kudus names Man United star as his toughest opponent – and tells players copying his celebration that they will have to start paying taxes on it!

Mohammed Kudus doesn’t mind players copying his iconic celebration, but warns they will have to pay taxes if it goes ahead.

The West Ham striker celebrated his goal against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup last November by sitting on a billboard, facing the pitch and with his back to the crowd.

Now the ‘Kudus festival’ is a phenomenon.

Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah copied it and the entire West Ham Under-21 team reproduced it.

And it was considered iconic when Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo and Rasmus Hojlund did it together after Garnacho scored for Manchester United against West Ham at Old Trafford last month.

Forward produced his memorable celebration for the first time against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup

Rasmus Hojlund (left), Alejandro Garnacho (center) and Kobbie Mainoo (right) copy the ‘Kudusfeest’

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Kudus told The Times: ‘I wanted to do something out of the box, because most celebrations are quite normal, sliding and all that. I wanted to add more meaning to my scores. It’s all about sitting down, resting after a goal, but there’s literally no deeper meaning than that.’

‘Even when I did it (for the first time), there were rumors of people doing it before, although I didn’t see anyone doing it that way. But yes, (other players) can do it – but soon they will have to pay taxes!

“I just see it as something to make people happy and worth the ticket they bought. Football is about the three points and the emotions at stake, but football is also entertainment and there is more to it. Yes. I’m still just having fun in the playground.’

Kudus named Man United defender Luke Shaw as his toughest opponent yet, but he says none have been easy and that ‘the intensity’ is the hallmark of the Premier League.

He added: “You can’t underestimate any team. Every game is difficult. When I was at Ajax, if you went 60 percent to 70 percent, you would still win. But here even the small teams can surprise. Every game is work time and you can’t switch off. I love it, you know.”

West Ham are back in action on Saturday when they play Newcastle at St James’ Park.

They also remain in the hunt for silverware after reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League.

Looking to build on their Conference League win last season, David Moyes’ side will face Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the last eight next month.