Reggae Boy Michail Antonio on Road to Recovery After Car Accident, West Ham Manager Optimistic
West Ham United manager Julien Lopetegui remains confident that Michail Antonio will make a full recovery and return to action in the coming months, following a horrific car accident on December 7.
The Reggae Boyz striker, who has made 15 appearances for the Premier League club this season, was involved in a serious crash and had to be extricated from his vehicle after being trapped for nearly an hour.
He was rushed to a London hospital, where he was confirmed to be in stable condition.
Antonio, 34, underwent surgery for a lower limb fracture, which is expected to sideline him for at least 12 months.
While some medical experts have raised doubts about his ability to play again, Lopetegui has expressed his relief that Antonio’s condition is improving.
“The most important thing is that he’s alive, he’s good. He broke his femur, but he’s going to recover for sure. He’s going to need time. It’s about time. Now it’s about time, but the good news is that he has time because when you see the car was terrible, the accident, that’s why we are happy,” Lopetegui stated.
Although no specific timeline for Antonio’s return has been given, the manager remains hopeful that the striker will resume training with the squad in the near future.
“Despite the fact we are unhappy because we lost one very important player for us, we are happy because he’s going to be ready. Now he’s strong, he’s recovered himself in the next months for sure and he’s going to be ready to be a player. The first thing is to be a man and then to be a player,” Lopetegui added.
West Ham’s squad paid a heartfelt tribute to Antonio by visiting him in the hospital and wearing “Antonio 9” shirts during their 2-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The club will also make a decision on extending Antonio’s contract, which is set to expire in the summer, before the end of the English Premier League season.
Antonio is the second longest-serving player at West Ham, having made 323 appearances since 2015, and is the club’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League with 68 goals.
He also helped lead West Ham to their UEFA Conference League title in 2023.
Antonio’s absence will have a significant impact on the Reggae Boyz, as he is set to miss Jamaica’s remaining World Cup qualifying matches in June 2024 and the final round of qualifiers in 2025.
He will also be absent from the Gold Cup preliminaries in March 2025 and the tournament itself in June and July 2025. Antonio has made 21 appearances for Jamaica, scoring five goals, and his last appearance was a goalless draw against Honduras in October.
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