West Ham United striker Michail Antonio switched allegiances to Jamaica from England back in March 2021.
Michail Antonio has been a fine servant for West Ham over the past eight-and-a-half years, and he’s earned 12 international caps for Jamaica over the past three years.
However, the 33-year-old has been in really poor form for the Hammers this season – he admitted as much himself when speaking to the Athletic a couple of days ago:
“I’ve been out for quite a while and before that I wasn’t giving the best performances, so it’s nice to be back out there performing the way I am now. At the start of the season, I started well, then I faded out with bad performances, I’ve got to be honest. Then, coming back from injury, I was a bit rusty. Now I’m showing the quality I have again.”
That was refreshing to hear from Mick. He has angered some West Ham fans over the past year or so with his comments on his podcast – something that Gabby Agbonlahor absolutely slaughtered him for.
David Moyes has actually been heavily criticised for his over reliance on Antonio, and indeed his role in signing off an a new £100k-a-week deal for the striker back in 2022 (The Sun).
That said, it’s quite clear to see just how important he still is for us – he has proven that with his unplayable performances over the last two games against Freiburg and Aston Villa respectively.
Big Mick undoubtedly still has a vital role to play for us this season, and possibly beyond that as well. The key will be keeping him fit and in the best shape physically.
Real reason why Michail Antonio isn’t playing for Jamaica this week
Antonio was called up to the Jamaica squad for the CONCACAF Nations League semi-final clash with the USA, but he withdrew without providing a reason (The Athletic).
The whole point of the former Nottingham Forest man pledging his allegiance to Jamaica three years ago was so that he could enjoy playing international football in the twilight years of his career.
That decision didn’t go down well at West Ham though. The club pay his wages, and the fact that he was on the wrong side of 30, and adding another 6-8 games to his schedule every season, as well as having to make multiple trips halfway around the world, just didn’t sit well with many at the London Stadium.
That’s why I think he’s made the decision to withdraw from the Jamaica squad this time around. Michail Antonio owes West Ham – we should be his priority, not Jamaica.
He’s missed 126 days through injury this season (Transfermarkt) – an issue he sustained whilst away on international duty back in November.
Considering the fact that he’s on such a huge contract at the London Stadium, Antonio absolutely should be doing everything he can to keep himself in prime condition for us.
So I commend him for withdrawing from the Jamaica squad this week. He absolutely could not risk picking up another injury problem 5,000 miles away from home – it would have been a disaster for him and the Hammers.
The 33-year-old’s sole focus should be on doing the business for West Ham between now and the end of the 2023/24 campaign. And his latest decision regarding international duty proves that his head is in the right place. Well done Mick.
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