Michail Antonio promised to make a return to high -level football while he continues to recover from the horrible December car accident which left him a serious leg.
Antonio, who will be 35 years later this month, had to be transported to hospital after the horrible accident, who kept him hospitalized at Christmas before he was released to continue his recovery. Unsurprisingly, he will not come back for West Ham United this season.
Sit with BBC Sport For the first interview since the accident, Antonio admitted that he was determined not to say goodbye to his player career.
“I broke my femur bone in four different places,” he said. “I underwent a single lock hole surgery. They put a post in my thigh with four bolts, so screws and bolts to knit it together.
“My first surgeon said he didn’t want me to get weight on my leg for three months, which is about now, and you can see that I have been walking. We got a second specialist who said I had to start weight there, going from 10% to 100% in three weeks.
“But I kept my crutches for two additional weeks. Overall, they say it will be between six and 12 months before my leg begins to heal properly.
“100%. I’m going to play again. This is what I focus on and why I work six days a week. I have always been positive for this situation. It is a horrible accident, and it’s a massive injury.
“It is the greatest injury I have ever made in my career. But the fact that I am already two to three months before where I should be, I know that I will come back, and I know that once I play the game, I will recover the sharpness.
“I was one of the fastest in West Ham. So my body was not the body of a 34 -year -old man before having accident anyway. I can always be clear and do business.
“People have always doubted me. My mental strength is something I always believed in and it is only another setback, and that will not prevent me.”
By reflecting on the seriousness of the accident, Antonio admitted only really the understanding of the full extent when he was taken to see what remained of his car a few weeks later.
“My leg was completely broken and they took me out and put a splint on it next to the car,” continued Antonio.
“Everyone thought he had released an air ambulance, but the helicopter could not take off because of the storm, so I was taken to the hospital.
“”[Seeing the wreckage] gave me a strange feeling in my stomach. It made me realize how close I was to die. I had seen the photos but it was ten times worse in person. The car was an absolute mess. It was difficult for me. “”
