Pundit: Michail Antonio being dropped for Gianluca Scamacca is good for him and West Ham United
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Michail Antonio being relegated to second choice striker behind Gianluca Scamacca might not be a bad thing for him or West Ham, says Frank McAvennie.
The Hammers spent big money to bring Italy international Scamacca to the club in the summer and he has displaced Antonio as the first-choice striker, topping West Ham’s scoring charts with seven goals this season.
But while Antonio is battling to get back into the team on a regular basis, McAvennie believes that after playing so much in recent years this little break could help him regain his best form.
“When Antonio plays he doesn’t want things over the top really,” he told West Ham Zone. “He wants to come short now all the time, whereas Scamacca will take the shot on.
“He brings a lot of players in, he’s great at bringing other players into it Scamacca. I think he’s, for me, he’s the number one.
“He’s got the number one spot up front at the moment. Which may not be a bad thing for Antonio, because it will give him a break. He’s been playing non-stop for years until he gets injured.
“So maybe this will stop him getting injured.”
Antonio himself has done relatively well this season, scoring four goals so far in this campaign while having his minutes limited.
There have been calls for the Jamaica international to start alongside Scamacca in a new system to get more goals into the team, with Ian Wright calling for a change to 4-4-2, but it seems unlikely that David Moyes will do that any time soon.