West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui confirmed his players will visit Michail Antonio in hospital this weekend as the striker recovers from his recent car crash.
Thirty-four-year-old Antonio was involved in a crash on 7 December in Epping, Essex.
The Jamaican international was taken to a central London hospital after being released from his car.
He has since undergone surgery on a lower limb fracture, and has been ruled out of action for “at least a year”.
Michail Antonio Crash Update: Lopetegui Says Squad Will Visit Star
Speaking to the press on Friday, Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui announced his players will visit their injured teammate over the weekend.
He said: “We are going to visit him today or tomorrow.
“But the main thing is we are happy because he is recovering well. We are close to him and his family and we wish him the best for the next days.
“The best news about Michail Antonio was that he was able to talk with us before the [Wolves] match – [because] looking at the car crash, it was one miracle [he was OK].
“Now he is strong, he is recovering himself in the next months to be a man first and then a player.”
According to reports, Antonio is expected to remain in hospital for the coming weeks. Having sustained multiple injuries, his recovery is expected to be long, but the club have offered their full support.
Antonio spoke to his teammates via video call before West Ham’s 2-1 win over Wolves on Monday.
The squad wore shirts with ‘Antonio 9’ on them during their warm-up. Since joining West Ham from Nottingham Forest in 2015/16, Michail Antonio has scored a club-record 68 goals in 268 Premier League appearances.
As a youngster, he also had spells at Southampton, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday. All of his former clubs have offered messages of support to the player.
Next up, West Ham travel to Bournemouth in the Premier League on Monday night.
