Michail Antonio says he cannot wait for this weekend’s clash against Southampton as he returns to action against none other than his former club.
Last season’s Hammer of the Year has been sidelined since April with injury, however after returning for Terry Westley’s U23s last week, the England international is set to make his impact felt again for Slaven Bilic’s side this weekend.
The Hammers take on Mauricio Pellegrino’s side at St Mary’s on Saturday, a place which will have a familiar feel for Antonio, namely because it used to be his former home. The 27-year-old the 2009-10 season on-loan with the Saints in a year he believes kickstarted his career.
“I was there when Southampton were deducted ten points to start the League One season, but we finished the season three points outside the Play-Offs, so it was an amazing season.” said Antonio on whufc.com.
“I managed to start about 37 games and score at Wembley as we won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final, so that was the season where the Antonio name kind of stemmed from.”
Antonio’s form at Southampton was big factor in eventually making the move to Sheffield Wednesday in 2012, and from there the rest is history. Now a full international with England, Antonio has gone from strength to strength since his time at St Mary’s, but despite the winger holding a place in his heart for the club, he still hopes he can make his return a goalscoring one.
“We definitely had quality players and players who have reached the Holy Grail of the Premier League. I’ll definitely enjoy going back there on Saturday.
“I love scoring goals and I hope I score but I don’t normally celebrate against my old clubs, so we shall see!”
