David Moyes had more good news for West Ham United fans after their win over Sheffield United, as he told Football London that Michail Antonio could be back fit at the weekend.
West Ham had to reshuffle their attack last night, with Jarrod Bowen playing as a central striker in Antonio’s absence.
The Hammers still managed to pick up a 3-0 win, with their performance earning great credit.
But Antonio remains an important part of Moyes’s plans, and the West Ham boss has offered encouragement that he will be back sooner rather than later.
“Well, it’s good that tonight we are not drawing attention to Micky Antonio because we scored three goals and I thought Jarrod, Jesse, and Manu did a really good job in causing problems in different ways tonight. But Micky is really important to us and we hope to get him back,” Moyes said.
“It was a big game for us and it wasn’t a risk to play him but we knew that he is in a position where something could happen and I don’t want to lose him for a long period. I hope that he’ll be fine for Sunday but I have no guarantee at this moment in time that that is the case.”
Antonio’s return for West Ham should only serve to make them a stronger team.
Even though Bowen did a credible job up top, he doesn’t offer the same physical presence that Antonio does when he plays through the middle.
West Ham’s win over Sheffield Untied has elevated them into fifth place in the Premier League table, with optimism rising that they could mount a challenge for the top four.
West Ham are next in action when they take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
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