West Ham,Michail Antonio
(Credit: Imago)
Carla Devine
Sun 16 March 2025 8:10, UK
Michail Antonio saw his season curtailed after a car accident in December left him with a broken leg that was expected to keep him out of action for a year at West Ham.
As the Hammers took on Newcastle United on Monday (10 March), the striker made his first return to the London Stadium as he was brought out onto the pitch ahead of kick-off.
However, despite impressive progress so far, while Antonio has a new return date in mind, that may not actually be in Claret and Blue.
West Ham striker Michail Antonio (Credit: Imago)
Antonio eyeing summer return for Jamaica
Antonio has been continuing his recovery from his injury at West Ham, as well as having taken a trip abroad at the end of February for some warm-weather training.
There is still plenty of way to go but the 34-year-old has taken positive steps so far and certainly looks to be beating the prediction of a year to return.
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As a result, it means that the striker is not targeting his comeback to be with West Ham but instead, is looking at World Cup qualifying with Jamaica slightly later in the year.
As quoted in the print edition of The Sun on Sunday [16 March, page 56], Steve McClaren is hopeful of having the striker’s services available for Jamaica’s games in June.
The Jamaica head coach said: “He is confident he’ll be back and [he’s] aiming for summer, or our qualifying group in September, October and November.
“The thing he has got is motivation. When warriors have motivation, they tend to achieve their goal.”
West Ham United's London Stadium
London Stadium, the home of West Ham United
West Ham need to solve striker problems
The blow of losing Antonio has been massive for the Hammers, especially given how much he has contributed to the team over his time in East London.
Appearances Goals Assists
323 83 38
Michail Antonio has been a key part of the West Ham squad.
At the same time, the Irons are also without Niclas Fullkrug through injury and, despite his arrival in the winter window, Evan Ferguson has been unable to find the back of the net so far.
It has been reported that West Ham are set to offer Antonio a new deal in the summer, with his current contract expiring at the end of the campaign.
You can certainly understand the decision to give something back to a player that has shown plenty of loyalty to his side over recent seasons, and if he is able to get back to fitness, there is certainly still a contribution to be made.
However, if Graham Potter wants his side to really look towards improvement, he will have to be looking at bringing in some more firepower during the summer transfer window.
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