West Ham United winger Michail Antonio has scored five goals in his first seven Premier League appearances.
Stuart Pearce has told West Ham United’s official website that he knows Michail Antonio well, and he is delighted to see the winger thriving at the London Stadium.
Antonio and Pearce worked together at Nottingham Forest earlier in their respective careers.
And since then Antonio has gone from strength to strength, earning a move to West Ham and impressing in the Premier League.
The 26-year-old has become a key member of Slaven Bilic’s side, and he was named in Gareth Southgate’s first England squad to face Malta in World Cup qualifying.
And Pearce said: “Antonio is someone I know well and he’s a great player. I was really pleased when he got the call-up for England!
“He works really hard at his profession and recently it’s really paid-off. At first it took him a while to break into the West Ham team and he’s been asked to play in different positions, for example right-back, but he always gives everything and that’s fantastic.”
Antonio has been one of a select group of West Ham players who deserve any credit for their performances this season.
The powerful wide man has scored five times in seven Premier League appearances, but his teammates have not been so impressive.
West Ham have started the new campaign in poor form, and have won just one of their first seven Premier League matches – leaving them down in 18th spot in the table.
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