Danny Murphy thrilled by West Ham forward Michail Antonio on BBC MOTD
Danny Murphy has expressed his admiration for Michail Antonio after the 31-year-old equalled the West Ham Premier League goalscoring record.
The 31-year-old struck the final goal of the match against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon to secure a 4-2 win for the Irons on the opening weekend of the top-flight.
That goal at St James Park ensured he went level with East End hero Paolo Di Canio on 47 Premier League goals for the Hammers.
Appearing on BBC Match of the Day 2 [16/08/21] on Sunday evening, former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Murphy spoke in glowing terms about the Wandsworth-born forward.
“Phenomenal,” he said.
“It shows great football intelligence to start out at right-back, and I saw him play on the wing for Sheffield Wednesday a few years back. Now he’s ended up as a striker, and a damn good one.”
Consistency king
Antonio has struck between six and ten Premier League goals in five of his six seasons at West Ham.
That’s been achieved despite playing in a variety of different positions for the Irons, including at full-back.
He has scored ten league goals in both of the last two seasons, even though he has not made more than 25 appearances in either of them.
If he can keep fit for the entire campaign he could be in line to net nearly 20 Premier League goals.
That’s easier said than done with his track record of injuries, but we’re hopeful this is the season there will be no interruptions.
He certainly started with a bang against Newcastle on Sunday.
In other West Ham news, Graeme Souness & Micah Richards hailed this ‘Brilliant’ Irons ace after Sunday’s 4-2 win v Newcastle.
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