Michail Antonio makes return for Jamaica SIX MONTHS after his near-fatal car crash - as forward's West Ham future remains uncertain
The 35-year-old came off the bench in 85th minute of Jamaica's 1-0 loss to Guatemala in the Gold Cup in California.
Antonio was unable to prevent Jamaica from suffering a group stage defeat, but the his brief cameo proved a milestone moment in his recovery.
The West Ham forward had not featured in a match since crashing his Ferrari into a tree in December, an accident that left the striker with extensive injuries and lucky to be alive.
Antonio suffered a lower limb fracture in the car accident and required surgery.
He was released from hospital at the end of December last year.
Antonio had been working hard to return to fitness in recent months, flying out for warm-weather training in Dubai in February.
West Ham boss Graham Potter revealed the forward had been kicking balls again with the first team squad in the closing stages of last season.
Antonio did not feature in the closing weeks of West Ham's season, but was still included in Steve McLaren's Jamaica squad for the Gold Cup.
He was absent from their recent World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala and the British Virgin Islands earlier this month, but came on for the closing stages in their Gold Cup opener.
Antonio will hope to feature more in Jamaica's remaining group stage matches against Guadeloupe and Panama.
The forward will be keen to prove his fitness with his West Ham contract, which is believed to be around £90,000 a week, coming to an end.
West Ham's leading Premier League goalscorer is currently weighing up his options after rejecting a short-term deal on lower wages.
'He's looking at what offers he gets,' a senior Hammers source recently told Mail Sport.
West Ham announced earlier this month they will continue to support Antonio throughout his comeback, even though he will officially been listed as a ' free transfer '.
'Given Michail Antonio's unique situation, following his serious road traffic accident in December 2024, there will be no formal decision and announcement on his future until such time that it is considered right and appropriate,' the statement read.
'However, as his current contract is also due to expire on 30 June, for the purposes of the Premier League Retained List procedure at the end of the 2024/25 season, Michail will be listed as a free transfer.
'As a long-serving, highly-respected player, and a much-loved member of the West Ham family, the club's absolute priority at this time is to support Michail personally in his journey to resume playing at the highest level.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Reuters
No talking: Micah Parsons mum, Jerry Jones digs in as Dallas standoff continues
August 13 - By Field Level Media Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and hold-in All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons made no formal progress in their contract staredown on Wednesday, and only one of the principal parties was willing to talk. Parsons said leaving the field after watching the team workout, "my mouth is closed." Jones resisted feigning optimism about a breakthrough in talks when the team breaks training camp and heads back to Dallas from Oxnard, Calif. "I don't know that necessarily talks will," Jones said. "But we've got a game coming, and he's under contract." Jones said there is "nothing" standing in the way of the team negotiating with Parsons, who said he formally and directly requested a trade out of Dallas to executive vice president Stephen Jones, Jerry Jones' son, earlier this month. "I stayed quiet but again after repeated shots at myself and all the narratives I have made a tough decision I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys," he wrote in a social media post on Aug. 1. "My trade request has been submitted to Stephen Jones personally." Jerry Jones said Wednesday there is no deadline for the two sides to come to terms on a deal when asked if he could see negotiations ceasing before the regular-season opener at Philadelphia on Sept. 7. "You don't have a deadline when you're playing under contract," he said. Parsons, 26, was present on Wednesday but never took the field as the Cowboys went through their final padded practice of camp. The two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection is in the final year of his rookie contract and scheduled to be paid $24.007 million this season.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
NFL great Aaron Donald's terrifying ordeal with alleged stalker revealed in newly surfaced court documents
Details of Super Bowl winner Aaron Donald's frightening ordeal with an alleged stalker have been revealed in newly surfaced court files from Los Angeles County, where the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year admittedly feared for his family's safety and his own. Donald, a married father of three who was regarded as one of the toughest players in the NFL before retiring in 2024, filed the restraining order against his alleged stalker in April after what's described in the court filings as years of unwanted harassment by the woman, whom he claims to have never met. The woman, Janelle Anwar, is accused of sending threatening and harassing emails to the Donald family, according to court files obtained by Daily Mail. The Athletic first reported details of the temporary restraining order request. Anwar is further accused of sending packages and balloons to Donald's children, and travelled to Pittsburgh where he was holding a football camp, as she confirmed to Daily Mail on Wednesday. Although Donald claims he's never met Anwar, she nonetheless filed a pair of divorce petitions against him seeking millions of dollars. Donald also received Google Chat messages from his alleged stalker that he took as a threat against his 3-year-old son, according to the temporary restraining order request. 'So make sure you pay for (him) to live … Cause that's what it will be … You will have to pay for his life now and everyone will get a cut,' the court papers claim that she wrote online. Speaking to Daily Mail on Wednesday, Anwar denied ever stalking Donald, explaining that the two met over social media in 2023 – three years after the court papers allege the harassment supposedly began. She alleged that Donald and his wife are not really married and that the wife of Rams coach Sean McVay is secretly missing - claims she also made to Donald's attorney, Peter Lauzon, according to the TRO request. McVay's wife, Veronika, is not missing, Lauzon mentioned in the filing. 'Ms. Anwar spoke in a very erratic and confused manner and claimed that Petitioner's current wife and Petitioner were not married,' Lauzon wrote in the filing. 'Ms. Anwar further stated that Petitioner's children have gone missing and that Petitioner should "be careful" and "to watch out." 'Ms. Anwar repeatedly asked me whether or not I had recently seen Sean McVay's wife as she has been missing for months,' Lauzon wrote. 'I know this not to be true.' The Athletic spoke with several professionals about the dangers celebrities face from stalkers. 'One of the things that a lot of stalking survivors talk about, famous or otherwise, is the constant state of worry they had about what the person may or may not do, where they may or may not show up,' Carlos Cuevas, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northeastern University, told The Athletic. 'The unpredictability is a big concern and … the content of what they're saying. Some of it might be just more uncomfortable and some of it can be straight-up scary.' A 2022 report to congress by the attorney general found that fewer than a third of all stalking victims reach out to authorities, fearing that such efforts could make the situation worse. 'Stalking is challenging to police effectively as it is a pattern-based, rather than an incident-based crime,' the report said. 'Responding to stalking cases often necessitates specialized knowledge and is a significant investigative effort.' Donald, a Super Bowl champion, left many NFL observers surprised when he retired from football last year at the age of 33. 'I'm burnt out. The best way to say it is I'm full, I'm complete. I'm satisfied with what I was able to do in 10 years,' he said. 'I think the passion to play the game is no longer there for me.' The defensive tackled was widely regarded as one of the very best to ever play in his position and since calling it a day, has frequently been asked to reconsider. Just last week, he joked he would return for the Rams if they traded for Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys, who demaded a trade due to his ongoing contract standoff with the organization.
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
‘Someone needs to give Carabao a geography lesson' – Fans spot major issue with cup draw as others fume ‘so rigged'
FANS have labelled the Carabao Cup draw as "rigged" and are demanding that chiefs get a "geography lesson". The 11 Premier League teams not competing in Europe this season enter the tournament at the second round stage. 2 2 Tonight's draw saw Manchester United get an away trip to League Two side Grimsby Town. And there were two all-Prem ties as Bournemouth host Brentford and West Ham travel to Wolves. But Hammers fans have been left perplexed about their away day at Molineux. The draw saw the nation split into two halves, with a 24-team northern and a 22-team southern section. Both Wolves and West Ham were put in the southern side of the competition. And that is despite Birmingham City, who face Sheffield United tonight, being located further south than Wolverhampton. A drive from St Andrews' to Molineux will take you 23 miles north. The issue baffled supporters, who said: "Which genius put Birmingham in the northern section of the Carabao Cup draw and Wolverhampton in the south?" Another added: "Someone needs to give Carabao a geography lesson!" A third commented: "Wolves in the southern section and Birmingham in the northern section of this draw is frying my brain." Carabao Cup introduces popular new feature on 24 teams' shirts as Arsenal are brutally trolled Others complained about Man Utd 's "easy" draw, with one saying: "Looks so rigged. Only one or two games which have teams more than one league apart." A second wrote: "It's rigged." More conspiracy theorist added: "Unlike United to get another easy draw in an early round. Shock horror bet that weren't fixed." Second round ties will be played the week commencing August 25.
