Declan Rice reacts to Michail Antonio’s landmark West Ham update
Michail Antonio has taken to social media after making another huge step on his road to recovery.
The 35-year-old is out of contract and working back to fitness following a traffic accident in December, with West Ham taking special measures to help with his rehabilitation.
Antonio made a stunning return to action in Jamaica’s 1-0 defeat to Guatemala in the Concacaf Gold Cup last month, playing the last five minutes of the match.
The striker’s future remains unclear, especially given Graham Potter has Niclas Fullkrug as his only senior striker right now.
Michail Antonio celebrates friendly brace
Antonio started for a young West Ham side in a friendly against National League outfit Boreham Wood on Friday (25 July).
The veteran forward netted twice early on to give the Hammers a commanding lead, and they eventually held on for a 2-1 victory.
It was another amazing step for Antonio to take in his battle for fitness, and one he was keen to share on social media.
Antonio posted clips of his goals to Instagram with the caption: “First start. 45 minutes – 2 goals. Doing what I love.”
The post garnered plenty of attention, with over 6,000 likes so far — including from former West Ham teammates Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips.
West Ham to battle Liverpool for Idrissa Gueye
Antonio is going above and beyond in his bid to get back fit and earn a contract — either at West Ham or elsewhere.
But even if he does return to the London Stadium, Potter will be keen to revitalise his forward line, with Fullkrug now 32 years old and struggling to make an impact in the Premier League.
It appears the Hammers are making strides to do just that, though, with Football Insider transfer correspondent Pete O’Rourke revealing the club are battling a host of English rivals — including Liverpool, Sunderland and Crystal Palace — for the signing of Metz sensation Idrissa Gueye.
The Senegalese striker is still only 18 years old, but already has one senior cap for his country, while he registered five goals and an assist in 20 Ligue 2 appearances last season to help Metz back to the top-flight.
Gueye is regarded as one of the hottest teenage striker prospects in Europe right now and is also attracting attention on the continent, including from the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, Inter Milan and Atalanta.
It’s understood Metz are looking for a fee of £17million for the youngster, who would certainly need a transition period into English football, but could provide West Ham with a much more dynamic option up top.