Michail Antonio West Ham fans
(Credit: Imago)

West Ham fans stunned by ‘incredible’ Michail Antonio twist – ‘can’t believe it’

Jonathan Burnett
Jonathan Burnett

Michail Antonio’s future is still up in the air at West Ham United after he took a significant step back towards full fitness.

West Ham haven’t been able to call on Antonio since he suffered a double lower-leg fracture in a life-threatening car accident on 7 December, ruling him out until the end of their Premier League season.

The London Stadium has seen plenty of change since Antonio began his road to recovery, with Julen Lopetegui replaced in the dugout by Graham Potter and Evan Ferguson signed on loan from Brighton.

The Irons hardly moved from their lowly league place of 14th at the time of Antonio‘s crash though, and could only climb as high as 13th before finishing in the exact same position after a slump as low as 17th.

Potter’s squad is set to undergo plenty of changes this summer as West Ham prepare to release no less than five senior first-team players, but Antonio’s long-term future in East London is yet to be decided.

Michail Antonio, West Ham
Credit: Getty Images

Michail Antonio makes return away from West Ham

Antonio was “grateful to be alive” in the wake of his car accident in December and West Ham didn’t put a timescale on when he’d be able to return to first-team action, but the 35-year-old is now back in action.

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Named in Jamaica‘s squad for the 2025 Gold Cup tournament which is already underway, Antonio came off the bench five minutes before full-time in the Reggae Boyz’s 1-0 defeat to Guatemala on Monday.

The veteran Hammers striker failed to get on the scoresheet in a disappointing Gold Cup opener for Jamaica, but Antonio’s return just over six months after a near-fatal car crash shows significant progress.

Antonio return splits West Ham fans – ‘best news of the day’

Antonio’s contractual situation at the London Stadium will come to a head before 30 June, and he could join Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Danny Ings and Kurt Zouma in being released.

For now, however, West Ham fans were largely delighted to see their number nine back in action, as one supporter said that his return “brings me a little joy” and another added; “I’ve got so much time for him”.

Other supporters were skeptical over whether Antonio’s return from injury means that he still has a future in East London, and one argued that the veteran was “suddenly fit enough to play international football” after half a year on the sidelines.

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