Have had concerns about Michail Antonio’s international trips with Jamaica, claims David Moyes
West Ham manager David Moyes has admitted that is concerned about Michail Antonio’s time with Jamaica as the forward spends a lot of time travelling which is new to him. The 31-year-old is the only recognised striker for the Hammers but has thrived, which has earned him a spot on the Jamaican team.
Despite being English and thriving for West Ham over the last few years, Michail Antonio has struggled to break into the England squad which saw the 31-year-old go another way instead. Thanks to his Jamaican heritage, the forward has been allowed to play for the Jamaican national team and so far, Antonio has thrived. The 31-year-old has netted three goals in six appearances for the team and has played almost every game for them, since making his debut last year.
But it has many West Ham fans worried as Antonio happens to be the only recognised striker in the Hammers’ squad and has suffered his fair share of injuries in the past. So much so, that even David Moyes has admitted that he is concerned at the travelling Antonio is now doing, especially as international duty is new to the forward. The Hammers’ boss also added that while he’d never stop anyone from representing their nation, he wants Antonio to be careful.
“He (Michail Antonio) has been away a couple of times now and I’ve had concerns about it, yes, because it is new to him. It is not something he has been doing it since he was 21 or 22 or something like that. Obviously they are long travels if you’re going to Jamaica … they’re long journeys to play the games. But I’ll never stop anybody if they want to play for their chosen country,” Moyes said, reported the Guardian.
But even in Antonio’s absence, West Ham have done fine so far, beating sixth-tier side Kidderminster in extra-time in their FA Cup fourth-round tie. They did need a 90th-minute equaliser to push for extra time and a 120th-minute winner from Jarrod Bowen to win but managed to sneak into the next round. It did see Moyes happy with his side’s performance but he wants to see them play at that level more consistently.
“I quite like the boys playing extra time because it makes 90 minutes a lot easier once you’ve played 120. I’m quite happy, maybe get them back into better shape. They had a week off and maybe they needed it, so hopefully it gets them in better condition. The biggest thing now is the players make sure they get back to the levels they can show,” he added.