David Moyes hopeful of Rice and Antonio return before May 23
David Moyes is optimistic about Declan Rice and Michail Antonio’s fitness and has given the West Ham duo a good chance of returning to action before the end of the season.
Rice sustained lateral knee ligament damage in England’s World Cup qualifier against Poland last month, and it seemed like his hopes of playing in the Euros were in jeopardy.
However, within a few days, the severity of the injury was played down, giving the player a six-week timeline to recover.
Antonio, on the other hand, suffered a hamstring injury against Wolves, and he is understood to have a shorter return date than Rice.
Speaking to the press ahead of the weekend match against Newcastle, Moyes gave a positive update on both players.
He said, “We’re not going to have Declan back and we don’t have Micky Antonio either.
“We’re not putting any timeframe on Declan or Michail, but we’re hopeful that both will make a contribution before the end of the season, that’s for sure.
“Declan’s training really well, but it’s all gym-based at the moment. He’s working really hard in the gym because he wants to get back as quickly as he can.”
Massive news
This couldn’t have come at a better time for West Ham fans. While the injuries against Newcastle don’t look so great, hopefully, we have more options to choose from in the coming weeks.
With no Rice and Mark Noble uncertain to play, we could see a change in system or have the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Pablo Fornals playing in unfamiliar roles.
Jarrod Bowen has been leading the line well, but Moyes would rather have Antonio back fit and firing on all cylinders.
The manager’s decision to not sign a striker could come back to haunt him if the Hammers miss out on the top four from here.
Thus far, Jesse Lingard’s goals have helped carry the team over the line, but Moyes will be desperately hoping to have Antonio back to full fitness soon.
In other West Ham news, ‘Going for a bit of an upset’ – Mark Lawrenson makes shock prediction for West Ham v Newcastle