Michail Antonio due for West Ham return

Michail Antonio is due for recall to today’s West Ham squad, following his surprise absence in Tuesday night’s Premier League clash with Crystal Palace. David Moyes has shown that he is not scared to impose fresh discipline on his team and dropped Antonio after the latter arrived late for a team meeting and training.

Following an apology from the midfielder, Moyes is ready to re-introduce Antonio to the team facing Brighton and Hove Albion later today.

Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images

Moyes told the West Ham website:

“Michail was great, he came and saw me right before the Palace game to tell me that he was really sorry and that he was usually very punctual, but he was late twice in a week.

“One was a training session, and we give the players plenty of leeway to get in for training, so it’s not as if they don’t get plenty of time. The game one, he didn’t turn up at the right location and he didn’t turn up on time, so it’s as simple as that.

“It’s got to be something that everybody at the club understands. It’s not going to be any other way. It’s going to be done correctly or it’s not going to be done at all. If they don’t do it correctly, they won’t be involved or they won’t play or they’ll fined regularly.

“To be fair, let me tell you he was massively regretful after and we need him and we want him back, because he is important to us.”

Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images

A criticism of the Slaven Bilic era was an apparent lack of discipline from the Hammers squad. Since taking over Moyes has shown that he is unafraid to swing the axe in order to get his players back on track. This Antonio decision may have negatively affected the team against Palace, but it was the right decision for the team long-term.

We look forward to seeing any possible involvement from Antonio against Brighton later today.

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