Michail Antonio in stable condition after car crash as West Ham send thoughts and prayers
Michail Antonio is in a stable condition after being involved in a car accident, West Ham have confirmed.
Images emerged on social media of a badly damaged Ferrari reported to be Antonio's due to an accident in Essex on Saturday.
West Ham have announced that the 34-year-old is conscious and communicating in a central London hospital.
A statement said: “West Ham United I can confirm that michail antonio He is in a stable condition following a traffic accident this afternoon in the Essex area.
“Michail is conscious and communicating and is currently under close supervision in a central London hospital.
“At this difficult time, we kindly ask everyone to respect the privacy of Michail and his family.
“The Club will not be making any further comment this afternoon but will issue a further update in due course.”
West Ham previously offered their thoughts and prayers for Antonio, his family and friends, and his teammates and Premier League clubs quickly followed suit.
This includes Vladimir Coufal and former defender Anton Ferdinand, who responded with hearts and praying hands emojis.
An Arsenal post on social media read: “Everyone at Arsenal sends their love, support and well wishes to Michail, his family and West Ham United.”
Chelsea said: “The thoughts of everyone at Chelsea FC are with Michail and his family.”
A message from Liverpool read: “The thoughts and prayers of everyone at LFC are with Michail and his family.”
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West Ham's update brought relief to the talkSPORT studio as co-hosts Jason Cundy and Jamie O'Hara reacted to the news that Antonio is in a stable condition.
“That's the best news today,” Cundy said.
O'Hara added: “Yes, really positive news. There were a lot of people worried after seeing some pictures of his car online; “We don’t know if it was his car or not, but he seemed pretty serious.”
Cundy continued: “The fact that West Ham have released that statement so soon after the first one tells me that it is nothing but good news.”
O'Hara said: “We are all football fans and we have our teams and rivalries, but we all stick together when it comes to football players. Michail Antonio is a great soccer player.
“We wish him all the best and hope he returns.”
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Antonio was involved in a less serious car accident in 2019 on Christmas Day.
The Jamaican star has scored 83 goals for West Ham in 323 games, becoming the Premier League's all-time leading scorer and a hugely popular character, both on and off the field.
The striker last played for the Hammers in the 3-1 defeat to Leicester on Tuesday night.
West Ham take on Wolves in the Premier League on Monday night.
Antonio began his career with seventh division side Tooting and Mitcham United, during which time he worked part-time as a lifeguard, before receiving his big break with Reading in 2008.
While Antonio's move to Reading was a career-changing moment, there were many more ups and downs as he was loaned out to five different clubs in four years with the Championship team.
This included a brief return to Tooting and Mitcham, before finally proving himself at Sheffield Wednesday in the last of his loan spells, earning him a permanent move in 2012.
It was at this point that Antonio's career began to take off, as two years later he was signed by Nottingham Forest, where he scored 14 Championship goals from the wing in his debut season.
A £7 million transfer to West Ham would follow in the 2015 summer transfer window, where he has become a club legend.
