Michail Antonio has shared what he told the West Ham physios about his fitness and how he is now confident of playing twice a week on a consistent basis.
Antonio suffered perennial hamstring problems before this season but, touch wood, he hasn’t had any issues this term.
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The 32-year-old has totally changed his diet and the way that he approaches his all round fitness, as outlined here via The Evening Standard.
And as a result, Antonio has played 37 games in all competitions for West Ham this season. He has bagged 10 goals and 10 assists during those outings (Transfermarkt).
Hopefully Micky can prolong his career with the Hammers for another few years. If he maintains his current dedication to his fitness then there is no reason why he won’t be able to do that.
Michail Antonio lifts lid on what he’s told West Ham physios about his fitness
The 32-year-old forward relies so much on his power and pace.
However, at the start of the season it seemed as though he was almost holding back.
And that’s something that he openly admitted to, when speaking exclusively to The Evening Standard today:
“Having come through non-League, my body is used to playing this amount of games. I told the manager and physio that I am used to playing week in, week out. In the Championship it was Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. My body did that for seven years before coming to the Premier League. Going Thursday-Sunday now, I feel like I am used to it. You don’t train as much, all you do is prepare for games. My body is always able to play in the games. I am going for it now. The beginning of the season I was holding back a bit, but as time has gone by I’ve been getting stronger and stronger as the season has gone on.”
Antonio has so much pressure on his shoulders.
Being the only striker at the London Stadium, he has to play week in, week out, whilst not getting injured.
That’s a tough task in the Premier League what with its robust and intense nature.
Antonio’s confident message to the West Ham physios tells us all we need to know about his mental state. Micky’s injury problems appear to be well behind him. And long may that continue.
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