Former England striker Darren Bent has praised West Ham for tying down Michail Antonio to a new two-and-a-half year contract.
The forward had been set to run out of contract next summer but the club’s official website confirmed on Friday that the 30-year-old won’t be leaving the London Stadium any time soon.
Speaking to Football Insider, Bent hailed the move to retain the striker as a piece of great business by the Hammers, saying:”For me, he’s been so influential in the way West Ham play and it’s funny because we were casting our votes about who’s been the best player in 2020 and he completely slipped my mind.”
Bent went on to describe the news as ‘massive’ for West Ham whilst praising Antonio’s form at the back end of last season in guiding David Moyes’ side to Premier League safety.
The 36-year-old, a 13-cap England international, suggested that the Irons talisman deserves to at least be part of the conversation for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad
Bent claimed: ”He definitely deserves to be talked about getting into the England squad because he’s played so, so well, he’s so unpredictable. I think he’s something that we haven’t got in the international scene so that’s well played West Ham.”
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Getting this deal done was a huge statement of intent from the Hammers as Moyes looks to build a squad capable of challenging in the upper echelons of the Premier League.
Although Antonio is no longer a spring chicken, despite his disappointing injury record, the versatile attacker has reinvented himself and – injuries aside – is perhaps in the form of his life.
Whilst the queue for England honours may be too daunting to become a reality for him, the national team’s loss in West Ham’s gain. With Antonio’s aforementioned injury issues, Moyes will be more than happy to not see his striker get the call-up from the Three Lions.
