OPINION
West Ham attacker Michail Antonio has struggled to be at his best this season and due to this he should be worried about his long-term future at the London Stadium.
Manuel Pellegrini clearly has big ambitions for the Hammers and won’t hang on to players for sentimental purposes even if they’ve been at the London club for years.
The experienced boss has regularly given the 28-year-old winger opportunities to impress this season but in the majority of his 15 outings he has been frustrating to watch.
Antonio’s effort can’t be faltered, particularly in his last few outings, but he just isn’t excelling in the way he should and is missing opportunities in front of goal that should be hitting the back of the net on a regular basis.
It’s been no surprise for this reason and the fact his injury record in recent times has been a concern that the attacker has found himself linked with a move away.
Claret & Hugh previously reported that Crystal Palace could tempted the London club into selling Antonio by bidding £12million but according to the dedicated site’s latest update that simply isn’t the case.
Claret & Hugh stated on Wednesday that the Hammers had issued a hands off regarding the player for the January window and suggested that the club were always prepared for Antonio’s form not to amazing due taken time to regain fitness after a long injury problem.
Yet the Hammers’ stance will surely change if Antonio doesn’t excel in the second half of the season.
By that time the player’s past injury problems will no longer be a viable excuse and Pellegrini is more likely to have extra funds in the summer in order to bin Antonio and bring in a quality replacement for him.
The 28-year-old is therefore in the last chance saloon regarding his Hammers career but he can swiftly save it and guarantee his future as with the club hanging onto through January, he’s being given enough time to prove his worth.
