Paul Merson showers praise on West Ham ace Michail Antonio
Paul Merson has singled out Michail Antonio for praise ahead of West Ham United’s Premier League clash against Brentford on Sunday.
The Jamaican international striker, 31, has hit the ground running this term, with five league goals and three assists to his name in five games.
Antonio is arguably the Hammers’ most influential player given their lack of a direct replacement on the bench, and Merson believes having him unavailable is equivalent to taking “United out of West Ham”.
The Sky Sports pundit said (as shared on Football Daily’s Twitter account): “When he is not in the team, you can take the United out of West Ham. When he’s in it, they are a very good team.
“I watched him at Leeds…they were one-off last season but will be there and about this season.”
Huge player
West Ham have lost just one Premier League game this term, and it can be argued that it was because Antonio was not available for selection.
He picked up a red card in the goalless draw against Southampton, missing the Manchester United, and the team lost 1-0.
Since he returned, the striker has scored twice and assisted once across all competitions, and he will be looking to add to his tally when Brentford come visiting.
Having failed to sign a cover in the summer transfer window, David Moyes will be hoping Antonio can stay off the treatment table until January given his woeful injury record.
While the Hammers can deploy other attackers to lead the line when he is not available, that has not proven to be effective so far.
They have a lot of brilliant players, but without Antonio on the pitch, they struggle to produce the desired attacking threat.
Should he stay fit this term and keep improving his finishing, this team could be challenging for a top-four finish again.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers want to sign English sensation with 18 goals/assists in 20/21.
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