Michail Antonio faces agonising 12 month wait to see if he can return to football after serious car crash
talkSPORT host Jim White revealed it will be ‘at least 12 months’ before Michail Antonio knows if he can play football again. The West Ham striker is in a stable condition after he was involved in a road traffic accident on Saturday. Michail Antonio was involved in a serious traffic accidentGetty The Hammers have since confirmed Antonio underwent surgery on a ‘lower limb fracture’. White has since provided an update on Antonio’s future regarding his potential return to play. “In a car accident at the weekend, I’m told this morning that he remains in a stable condition in hospital and receiving the full support of the NHS and the West Ham medical staff,” White told talkSPORT. “He has sustained serious damage to one of his legs and it’s thought that it’s going to be a long-haul recovery. “It will be at least 12 months before it’s known whether or not he’ll play football again. “I was told this morning that Michail is a fighter and is in a strong physical position and that may help him and be a bit of an advantage when it comes to his recovery. “Everybody here at talkSPORT sends their very best to Michail Antonio as he continues to recover from that car accident.” Co-host Simon Jordan added he felt Antonio was ‘lucky’ to be alive given the worrying state of the vehicle involved. “When I saw it it reminded me of Chris Coleman when he was at Fulham – I hope it doesn’t go the same way for Michail as it did for Chris because he couldn’t come back from it,” Jordan said. “It’s a terrible situation. He’s out and alive which is the most important thing and we’ll see where it goes next for him. An image emerged of a crashed Ferrari which is said to belong to AntonioX “If he can find his way back – he’s probably got that presence and sense of character to find his way back but it’s going to be hard yards for him.” Arsenal legend Martin Keown added: “I sincerely wish him well. It looked really bad, didn’t it? You do feel he’s lucky to be alive. “He’s played for West Ham with distinction and spent nearly 10 years at the club. “He’s a 34-yearold but a very fit 34-year-old and hopefully he gets a chance to get back onto the pitch.” White said: “He’s a lovely guy, Martin. Whenever I go to a West Ham match, if I see him after the match he’s always around with a smile on his face and happy to help out and does his media obligations with a smile on his face.” Antonio was involved in what police believed to be ‘a single vehicle collision’ when he crashed his Ferrari in Essex, close to West Ham owner David Sullivan’s house. Antonio has been with the Hammers for nearly a decadeGetty The 34-year-old was trapped inside his vehicle for almost an hour as emergency services worked tirelessly to free him before he was airlifted to a hospital in central London. West Ham issued their thoughts and prayers as the news broke, with multiple Premier League clubs following suit. Several of Antonio’s teammates and rivals at other clubs also sent messages of support on social media. Antonio has made over 320 appearances for the Hammers since he joined from Nottingham Forest in 2015. The Jamaica international has also had spells at Reading and Sheffield Wednesday over the course of his career. The 34-year-old has registered a goal and an assist from 15 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers this season.
talkSPORT host Jim White revealed it will be ‘at least 12 months’ before Michail Antonio knows if he can play football again.
The West Ham striker is in a stable condition after he was involved in a road traffic accident on Saturday.
The Hammers have since confirmed Antonio underwent surgery on a ‘lower limb fracture’.
White has since provided an update on Antonio’s future regarding his potential return to play.
“In a car accident at the weekend, I’m told this morning that he remains in a stable condition in hospital and receiving the full support of the NHS and the West Ham medical staff,” White told talkSPORT.
“He has sustained serious damage to one of his legs and it’s thought that it’s going to be a long-haul recovery.
“It will be at least 12 months before it’s known whether or not he’ll play football again.
“I was told this morning that Michail is a fighter and is in a strong physical position and that may help him and be a bit of an advantage when it comes to his recovery.
“Everybody here at talkSPORT sends their very best to Michail Antonio as he continues to recover from that car accident.”
Co-host Simon Jordan added he felt Antonio was ‘lucky’ to be alive given the worrying state of the vehicle involved.
“When I saw it it reminded me of Chris Coleman when he was at Fulham – I hope it doesn’t go the same way for Michail as it did for Chris because he couldn’t come back from it,” Jordan said.
“It’s a terrible situation. He’s out and alive which is the most important thing and we’ll see where it goes next for him.
“If he can find his way back – he’s probably got that presence and sense of character to find his way back but it’s going to be hard yards for him.”
Arsenal legend Martin Keown added: “I sincerely wish him well. It looked really bad, didn’t it? You do feel he’s lucky to be alive.
“He’s played for West Ham with distinction and spent nearly 10 years at the club.
“He’s a 34-yearold but a very fit 34-year-old and hopefully he gets a chance to get back onto the pitch.”
White said: “He’s a lovely guy, Martin. Whenever I go to a West Ham match, if I see him after the match he’s always around with a smile on his face and happy to help out and does his media obligations with a smile on his face.”
Antonio was involved in what police believed to be ‘a single vehicle collision’ when he crashed his Ferrari in Essex, close to West Ham owner David Sullivan’s house.
The 34-year-old was trapped inside his vehicle for almost an hour as emergency services worked tirelessly to free him before he was airlifted to a hospital in central London.
West Ham issued their thoughts and prayers as the news broke, with multiple Premier League clubs following suit.
Several of Antonio’s teammates and rivals at other clubs also sent messages of support on social media.
Antonio has made over 320 appearances for the Hammers since he joined from Nottingham Forest in 2015.
The Jamaica international has also had spells at Reading and Sheffield Wednesday over the course of his career.
The 34-year-old has registered a goal and an assist from 15 appearances in all competitions for the Hammers this season.
