JULEN LOPETEGUI is confident that Michail Antonio will recover and play for West Ham again.
The Hammers striker, 34, suffered a broken leg and various other injuries after the horrific crash in his Ferrari FF near Theydon Bois in Epping.
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Michail Antonio has made 14 appearances in the Premier League this seasonCredit: PA
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The attacker, 34, was involved in a terrible traffic accident
Antonio was airlifted to a London hospital last Saturday after the accident before undergoing quick surgery.
West Ham teammates, as well as his manager, visited the striker in hospital this week.
And Lopetegui is confident that the club’s all-time Premier League goalscorer will recover.
He said: “The most important thing is that he is alive, he is fine.
“He broke his femur, but he will surely recover.
“He will need time. There was time.
“Now the time has come, but the good news is that he has time because when you see the car was terrible, an accident, that’s why we’re happy.
“Because in the end, despite being unhappy because we lost a very important player for us, we are happy because he will be ready.
“He is strong now, he must have recovered in the next month and he will be ready to play.
“First is to be a man, and only then to be a player.”
West Ham stars pay tribute to Antonio with special shirts after their friend’s horrific accident
Antonio is not expected to recover before the end of this season, meaning a contract extension will be necessary if he is to play for the club again.
The former Nottingham Forest man is out of contract this summer, although West Ham have previously given new contracts to injured players to support their recovery.
Talks about whether Antonio will get an extension have yet to begin. Lopetegui experimented with captain Jarrod Bowen playing through the middle on Monday night.
But summer signing Niclas Fullkrug finally returned from injury to help boost the forward numbers, scoring on his return to Leicester last week.
‘STEP BY STEP’
Lopetegui, however, is not sure if the German is ready to start.
He said: “Fulla is progressing step by step.
“He was out of action for a long time due to the injury he had, and now he has recovered and is putting his body better every day.
“It is good news for us that he is back and will be ready to help us.
“But let’s see when he’s ready or not. Step by step he’s getting better, he’s feeling better, he’s feeling stronger so we can use him at any time.”
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Julen Lopetegui updated fans on Antonio’s condition Credit: Reuters
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