- Antonio was involved in a car crash earlier this month and required surgery
- His contract is set to run out at the end of the season and his future is unclear
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism has gone at Old Trafford
West Ham striker Michail Antonio has been discharged from hospital following the horror car crash that left him with a broken leg.
Antonio, 34, was extracted from his £260,000 Ferrari after careering off the road near Theydon Bois, Essex, on December 7 and required surgery.
The crash, which occurred in Epping Forest, saw him end up in his passenger seat and he was trapped for more than 45 minutes while fire crews attempted to free him.
Antonio had been driving home from the club’s Rush Green training ground ahead of their Premier League match against Wolves when he collided with a tree.
Later that night, West Ham confirmed he was in a stable condition after his procedure.
The forward has now been released from hospital 24 days after the accident and is recovering at home. He will not play again this season.
West Ham striker Michail Antonio has been discharged from hospital after his car crash
Out of contract at the end of the season, Antonio’s future at the club remains uncertain
Antonio, West Ham’s all-time Premier League goal scorer, is out of contract in the summer and a decision has not been made over a potential extension.
It is thought, however, that discussions will take place in the near future.
His team-mates were shaken after concerning photos of his totalled supercar began to circulate online and soon visited him in hospital alongside staff members.
Antonio was forced to spend the festive period under medical supervision with his devastating leg injury likely to rule him out of action for over 12 months.
Sources close to Antonio said he was lucky to be alive after the incident but he was well enough to FaceTime the squad and share a joke before watching them beat Wolves at the London Stadium from his hospital bed.
The Jamaican international is said to be on more than £90,000-a-week and a report from The Times claimed that the club does not have insurance to cover the situation. As a result, they will pay his wages for the rest of the season regardless.
Antonio, set to turn 35 in March, has scored 83 goals for West Ham since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2015. He has also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Reading.
Speaking after the accident, Hammers manager Julen Lopetegui expressed his confidence that Antonio would return to the pitch in the future.
West Ham confirmed Antonio was in a stable condition after his procedure on December 7
The forward is the club’s all-time record Premier League goal scorer and joined in 2015
‘The most important thing is that he’s alive, he’s good,’ said Lopetegui. ‘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.’
