West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui believes Michail Antonio will recover from his horror crash to play football again.
Antonio, 34, suffered ‘a lower limb fracture’ after an incident in the Essex area involving his silver Ferrari last Saturday, with the forward rushed to hospital.
The east London club later provided an update on the player’s condition, informing the public that he was ‘conscious and communicating and is currently under close supervision’ as images surfaced of a silver Ferrari with considerable damage to the front right wing.
Local police appealed for dash cam footage and witnesses as officers investigate the serious collision in Epping on Coppice Row which took place shortly after 12.50pm.
Following the crash, it emerged that the player – who has since undergone surgery – was trapped for more than 45 minutes as fire crews attempted to free him from his car, with some reports claiming that Antonio’s career was in jeopardy.
However, speaking ahead of Monday’s trip to Bournemouth, Lopetegui expressed his confidence that the Hammers’ all-time record Premier League goalscorer will return to the pitch in the future.
Julen Lopetegui believes Michail Antonio will recover from his horror crash to play football
Antonio was involved in a serious car crash last Saturday afternoon that left the 34-year-old with ‘a lower limb fracture’ (pictured – the striker’s Ferrari following the crash)
He said: ‘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.
‘Because in the end, 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 month 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.’
Antonio is expected to remain in hospital for weeks while it remains to be seen if he’ll ever be able to continue his career.
Sources close to Antonio say he is lucky to be alive but he was well enough to FaceTime his West Ham team-mates and share a joke before watching them pick up a huge victory over Wolves while he watched from his hospital bed.
Mail Sport understands senior squad members have been to visit Antonio to give support to their friend and team-mate with more planning to call in over the coming days.
Hammers midfielder Tomas Soucek dedicated his goal against Wolves on Monday night to Antonio and said he couldn’t wait to visit him.
‘He is a massive player and he is in my heart,’ said Soucek on Monday night.
‘It was really tough for us. I was with the kids and I saw it on my phone. I messaged everyone asking what happened and how he was. I was so scared what was going to happen. It was a really tough week for him, his family and us.
‘We had a video call with him, the whole team, before the game. He smiled to us and gave us all the best. He even made a few jokes before the game and he wished us all the best. I can’t wait to visit him.’
West Ham paid tribute to Antonio ahead of their victory over Wolves by warming-up in ‘Antonio 9’ shirts, while they also walked out in tops bearing his name.
Goalscorers Soucek and Jarrod Bowen similarly dedicated their goals to the Jamaican star.
Meanwhile, Lopetegui’s comments come after The Times reported that West Ham are considering a heartwarming gesture to support Antonio and his family during his recovery.
The forward is not expected to feature for the rest of this season due to the injuries he suffered and his deal is set to expire in the summer.
However, the report claimed the Hammers may extend the 34-year-old’s contract, with discussions to take place once he leaves the central London hospital he is in.
Antonio is said to be on more than £90,000-a-week, with the report adding that the club don’t have insurance to cover the situation so will pay his wages for the rest of the season whatever.
The forward is set to turn 35 in March and has 83 goals for the club since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2015, while he is also their record Premier League goalscorer.
If the Hammers were to extend Antonio’s deal, it would come after they gave former defender Angelo Ogbonna an extra year when he suffered a serious knee injury in November 2021.
