Back to the future for one time blue eyed boy?

By Allen Cummings

Few players seem to divide opinion more amongst West Ham supporters than Michail Antonio.

The one-time claret and blue-eyed boy! The darling of the terraces with his direct running and raw enthusiasm, was seen as the ‘future’ in the early Slaven Bilic years.

That “Antonio, Antonio, Antonio” chorus was regularly heard ringing around the ground. Sadly, that star shine has well and truly faded in recent months – to such an extent that many it appears would happily see Antonio out the door in January.

I admit to being a frequent critic of his performances myself, including his apparently disinterested attitude and frustrating body language. Standards have been well short of what we expect.

Antonio had set the bar high in those early years when runner-up to Hammer of the year Dimitri Payet in his first season and  claiming the title for himself in 2017, there’s no doubt Michail was a Hammers hero.

But then it all went wrong. Bilic’s obsession with playing him at right back didn’t help I’m sure. Neither did a run of frustrating injuries that saw him in and out of the team on a regular basis. Up to now signs that Antonio could be on the way back to anything like those happier days have been few and far between.

But on Saturday we saw him playing up front with Marko Arnautovic, and I felt there were at last encouraging signs that the old Antonio could possibly be on the way back.

On Saturday I saw Antonio put in a proper shift which is all we’ve been asking. His work rate was good, his body language was much better, his application was greatly improved. We haven’t been able to say that for far too long.

There were glimpses of the direct and powerful running of old. Maybe he should have done better when hitting the post in the second half but the fact he created that opportunity for himself was encouraging. It’s just one game I know. Obviously we need to see more of the same in the weeks to come. But I’m more optimistic than I was.

I don’t pretend to know the future for Antonio. Manuel Pellegrini will decide that. Transfer speculation of interest from Crystal Palace has been circulating for some time. I wouldn’t presume to second guess the boss.

I simply believe it makes no sense to sell your assets. If Michail Antonio really is starting to turn the corner and recapturing the form we know he is capable of, I want to see him doing that in a West Ham shirt!