West Ham coach Stuart Pearce absolutely raved about Michail Antonio when speaking to talkSPORT yesterday (December 2nd, 7:40 am).
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The 30-year-old joined the Hammers from Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2015 for around £7 million (BBC).
Pearce actually signed Antonio for Forest for around £1.5 million in 2014. So he is clearly a very big fan of the powerful attacker.
The West Ham ace has been a real hit since moving to east London. And he is now one of David Moyes’s most important players at the London Stadium.
The 30-year-old is absolutely vital to the way in which the Hammers play.
And Pearce is under no illusion as to how important Antonio is to this West Ham team.
He told talkSPORT:
“He’s a player that I know fairly well, before my time at West Ham. I signed him for Forest from Sheffield Wednesday. I mainly signed him as a flank player coming in, left or right-wing. Dave’s has put him down the middle. He seems to really enjoy that role. He can do it on his own. He’s a massive threat in behind because of his pace and power. It’s almost a new lease of life for him. He’s been a pleasure to work with, Michail.”
Antonio returned to action on Monday night against Aston Villa but he was clearly nowhere near fit.
There have been rumours floating about this morning that the 30-year-old has suffered a setback. Let’s hope that isn’t true, however.
We need a fully fit and firing Antonio if we are to enjoy a successful campaign.
And David Moyes absolutely cannot rush him back next time.
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