West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui believes Michail Antonio will recover from his terrible accident to play football again.
Antonio, 34, suffered ‘a lower limb fracture’ amid multiple traumas Following an incident in the Essex area involving his silver Ferrari last Saturday, the striker was 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”, while images emerged of a silver Ferrari with considerable damage to the right front wing.
Local police have appealed for dash cam footage and witnesses as officers continue to investigate the serious collision in Epping on Coppice Row which took place shortly after 12.50pm.
Following the accident, 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 danger.
However, speaking ahead of Monday’s trip to Bournemouth, Lopetegui expressed confidence that the Hammers’ all-time Premier League top scorer will return to the pitch in the future.
Julen Lopetegui believes that Michail Antonio will recover from his terrible fall to play football
Antonio was involved in a serious car accident last Saturday afternoon which left the 34-year-old with “a fracture in a lower limb” (pictured, the striker’s Ferrari after the accident).
Antonio remains in hospital and some reports claim his career is in danger
He said: ‘The most important thing is that he is alive, he is fine. He broke his femur, but I’m sure he will recover.
‘It’s going to take time. It was time. Now it’s time but the good news is that there is time because when you see the car, the accident was terrible, that’s why we are happy.
“Because in the end, even though we are not happy because we lost a very important player for us, we are happy because he will be ready.”
“Now he is strong, he will surely recover in the next month and will be ready to be a player.”
“The first thing is to be a man and then be a player.”
Antonio is expected to remain in hospital for weeks and doubts may remain over whether he will be able to resume his career.
Sources close to Antonio say he is lucky to be alive, but he was well enough to FaceTime his West Ham teammates and share a joke before watching them get a big win over Wolves on Monday, which he watched from his hospital bed.
Mail Sport then exclusively revealed that members of the senior team visited Antonio to provide support to their friend and teammate and plan to call more in the coming days.
Lopetegui admitted that patience was needed, but affirmed that Antonio will return to the playing fields
West Ham paid tribute to Antonio ahead of their 2-1 win over Wolves on Monday
Scorers Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen (above) also dedicated their goals to the forward.
Hammers midfielder Tomas Soucek dedicated his goal against Wolves on Monday night to Antonio and said he couldn’t wait to visit him.
“He’s a huge player and he’s in my heart,” Soucek said after the victory over Gary O’Neil’s team.
‘It was really hard for us. I was with the kids and saw it on my phone. I sent everyone a message asking what happened and how I was doing. I was very afraid of what was going to happen. It was a really hard week for him, his family and us.
‘We had a video call with him, with the whole team, before the game. He smiled at us and gave us all the best. He even made some jokes before the game and wished us all the best. I can’t wait to visit.’
West Ham paid tribute to Antonio ahead of the clash with Wolves by warming up in ‘Antonio 9’ shirts, while they also came out in shirts bearing his name.
Club captain Jarrod Bowen joined Soucek in dedicating his goal to the Jamaican star.
Meanwhile, Lopetegui’s comments come after The times reported that West Ham are considering a touching gesture to support Antonio and his family during his recovery.
The striker is not expected to play for the rest of this season due to injuries he sustained and his contract is set to expire in the summer.
Antonio is West Ham’s record goalscorer in the Premier League and has scored 83 goals for the club.
West Ham issued a statement last Sunday afternoon to confirm that Antonio underwent surgery
However, the report claimed the Hammers could extend the 34-year-old’s contract, with discussions taking place once he leaves the central London hospital where he is staying.
Antonio is said to earn more than £90,000 a week, and the report adds that the club does not have insurance to cover the situation, so will pay his wages for the rest of the season.
The striker will turn 35 in March and has scored 83 goals for the club since arriving from Nottingham Forest in 2015, as well as being their top scorer in the Premier League.
If the Hammers were to extend Antonio’s contract, it would come after they gave former defender Angelo Ogbonna an extra year when he suffered a serious knee injury in November 2021.
Lopetegui’s side are currently 14th in the Premier League and will travel to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth on Monday night.