‘There is no real panic’ over Michail Antonio’s future at West Ham despite threat of relegation, insists David Moyes as boss reveals option to extend star forward’s contract
- West Ham will be able to trigger a contract extension for Michail Antonio
- David Moyes revealed the club can ensure they keep hold of their star forward
- In-form Antonio has scored six goals since the Premier League’s restart
David Moyes has no fears that West Ham could lose Michail Antonio as he revealed that West Ham can trigger a one-year extension on the in-form forward’s contract.
Antonio has been flying in the Premier League since the restart, having scored six goals, including four against Norwich last week.
Yet while the threat of relegation still hangs over West Ham, doubts will remain over the future of their star players – but not in Antonio’s case, according to Moyes.
Michail Antonio pictured in training ahead of Friday’s crunch game against Watford
Speaking about Antonio’s future, Moyes said of his contract: ‘He’s got a year to go and, as far as I know, he has got a built-in extension, so I don’t think there is any real panic.’
Activating that extension would mean that Antonio, 30, would stay at the club until at least 2022.
West Ham are still just three points off the drop zone but have a game in hand over the bottom three, against relegation rivals Watford at the London Stadium tonight. Win that and Moyes’ men will need just one more point to guarantee survival.
West Ham’s star forward scored four goals against Norwich last week and is in great form
Boss David Moyes revealed that the club can extend Antonio’s contract by a further year
Despite their inconsistent form, Moyes has praised the fight of his entire squad, insisting Antonio must not take all the credit should they stay up.
‘I don’t think it will be Michy who saves it. If we stay in the Premier League it will be because of the team’s performance, and I think it will be the attitude of all the players,’ Moyes added.
‘The players have been bang at it since I came in, in January. We have been desperate to win all the games. The players have done a great job.
‘But we have needed to step up and score goals, and thankfully, Michail Antonio has come up to the mark and got some goals. Hopefully that continues in the remaining three games.’