Often the man with the exclusive, West Ham insider ExWHUemployee has given Hammers supporters a boost ahead of the trip to the south coast to face Southampton on Tuesday.
Speaking on his West Ham Way podcast, Ex has claimed that Michail Antonio is back in contention to play a part for David Moyes’ side after a prolonged spell on the sidelines.
The 30-year-old forward was originally ruled out with a hamstring problem he picked up against Manchester City two months ago before returning too soon and aggravating the same problem against Aston Villa at the end of November.
Antonio had made a strong start to the new season before his latest injury setbacks and is likely to feature from the start as soon as possible, with Sebastien Haller largely failing to impress during his recent run of starts.
The Ivorian striker has had his moments recently, that wonder goal against Crystal Palace in particular, but his failure to put together even a double salvo of consistent performances will ultimately cost him his place in the starting lineup.
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Moyes will certainly not be rushing his talisman back this time after what happened in November when Villa came to the London Stadium.
That said, the former Nottingham Forest man’s return to the matchday squad would act as a great plus for the Hammers on one of the busiest weeks of the season and could even motivate Haller to show his best form, knowing that Antonio is breathing down his neck to take his place.
