Michail Antonio Seeks New Beginning with Leicester City

Michail Antonio Seeks New Beginning with Leicester City

Michail Antonio Seeks New Beginning with Leicester City

Striker Michail Antonio is poised for a fresh start in the Championship with Leicester City, a year after a serious car accident cast doubt on his playing future.

The 35-year-old former West Ham forward sustained severe injuries, including a broken leg with his femur fractured in four places, following a crash in Epping Forest in December 2024.

This week, he has been training with Leicester, presenting a potential option for Foxes manager Marti Cifuentes, particularly in light of Patson Daka's upcoming participation in the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia.

“He has looked good and has been a positive presence around the team,” Cifuentes remarked in an interview with BBC East Midlands Today. “We are assessing his capabilities, and he is pleased to be training with us.”

Antonio was nearing the end of his contract with Premier League side West Ham at the time of the accident. Following the incident, he spent over three weeks hospitalized and underwent surgery, describing the subsequent physical and mental recovery process as challenging.

Although he was unable to regain fitness in time to play for West Ham last season, he made a return to the field with the Jamaican national team during the summer. After his contract expired in June, he continued to train with West Ham, participating in matches with the club's Under-21 side to aid his recovery.

When asked if Antonio has exhibited any signs of the trauma he experienced over the past year, Cifuentes replied, “Not at all. We know he has been training with another club and is looking good in that regard.”

“The challenge will be regaining match fitness, as he has been away for a significant time. It’s never easy, regardless of how hard you train or how engaged you are, because the competitive level is different,” he added.

Antonio enjoyed a decade-long tenure with West Ham, leaving the club as their all-time leading Premier League scorer, with 68 goals in 268 appearances. His career began at the non-league level with Tooting & Mitcham United, and he has netted over 130 goals in more than 550 professional matches since signing his first contract with Reading at the age of 18.

He has also had stints with Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, and Nottingham Forest before joining West Ham in 2015.

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