In his Q & A with the Evening Standard, Michail Antonio revealed what initially kept him out of the West Ham side last season, and what he did to make sure that he had a successful first season at The Boleyn Ground.
“I started off the season quite slow, hardly getting any game time, just sat on the bench. The articles came out: ‘Michail Antonio – missing man.’”
Clearly the articles were having an effect on the winger, but his persistence in training was what made the difference for Antonio towards the end of December.
“It’s basically just hard work and dedication. I’m still staying after training, doing extra bits, always pushing myself, trying to make myself better.”
Antonio’s attitude is one of the reasons he is adored by West Ham fans, and the news that he took it upon himself to ensure he found his way into the starting eleven will only make him more popular among the supporters. So many modern day footballers believe that everything should be given to them, and would have left the club in January if they weren’t seeing game time. But Antonio’s persistence and hard work meant that by the end of the season he was one of the most feared wingers in the league, and probably should have been included in Roy Hodgson’s England squad for the Euros.
Antonio also gave the fans an indication of what’s to come at The Olympic Stadium next season, stating “We’re going to make it a fortress and hopefully we can do what we did this year at Upton Park. Good things are coming”.
