Having seen [Michail Antonio](https://www.claretandhugh.info/antonios-comeback-mission-95-days-to-prove-fitness-before-contract-expires/) ‘presented’ to the Hammers crowd before the Newcastle United fixture, it wasn’t quite clear whether the mood music was _‘great to see you again_‘ or _‘is this a “thank you” just in case’:_ In reality probably a bit of both.
No-one, probably not even Antonio himself, is yet sure of how far he can push his rebuilt limb and whether he’ll ever be back to wear the ‘9’ shirt again.
Anyone who has gone through reconstructive surgery like that will be aware of the limitations it can place upon future mobility. However, Michail the warrior may well be out to prove the doubters wrong. Which in itself is a brilliant motivation.
Antonio’s International coach Steve McLaren gave a pretty upbeat assessment of Antonio’s prognosis when speaking to [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c0kg1g2lgd3o):
_“He is confident he will come back and is aiming for the summer period, or hopefully our World Cup qualifying group in September, October and November.”_
_“He says the one thing he has got is motivation. When warriors have motivation, they tend to achieve their goal._
_“His goal is to be back in the summer to help Jamaica.”_
Which would be great news for West Ham – to see Antonio back on the pitch, albeit more likely next season than this, would be awesome: The forward would hopefully aim to carry out time-limited impact appearances, pretty much as the German national side use Hammers’ other injured striker Niclas Fullkrug.
Fingers crossed then for Antonio’s recovery and return to West Ham in due course.
The question marks over who West Ham will recruit to lead the line ‘full time’ this summer remain , though. Ands that’s another thesis altogether.