Michail Antonio is ready to fight for his place, just as he has done so many times before in his West Ham United career.
In his nine years in Claret and Blue, Antonio has repeatedly proven himself, first as a versatile player capable of filling positions at full-back and later on either wing then, since 2020, as an all-action centre-forward who has become the Irons’ record Premier League goalscorer.
With the Hammers hoping to bolster the attacking ranks before the summer transfer window closes, the long-serving striker is set to face competition for his position in the starting XI.
But, at the age of 34, Antonio is feeling as fit and hungry as ever to show he is still not only a Premier League centre-forward, but one capable of hurting defences and scoring goals.
“To be fair, I like competition, but I also like playing every week,” he told whufc.com, with typical honesty. “I don’t like coming off the bench. Even at my age now, when people are saying I should just relish the chance to play in the Premier League, my attitude is completely different – I want to play every single week.
“So, whoever comes in, I’ll be up for the competition. I’m the number nine for a reason. You can come in and try to take my place but, even at my age now, I’m still going to fight for my place and keep going because I feel like I still have the ability and I don’t think my legs have gone or my ability has gone.
“If I get to the stage where I feel the standard of my performances is plummeting, I’ll take a back seat, but right now I still feel good. All I care about is knowing there is an equal opportunity, and if there is an equal opportunity then I’ll fight for my place.”
Antonio has spent virtually the entire summer in the United States, appearing for Jamaica at the Copa América, then enjoying a three-week holiday before meeting up with the West Ham squad at their training base in Tampa, Florida, for the Sunshine State Tour and Stateside Cup.
“To be fair, I really enjoyed the Copa América,” he said. “Obviously the results didn’t go our way, and some of the decisions didn’t go our way, but America is a very nice place to play and we got to experience some new places like Austin and Houston, Texas, and visited Las Vegas again, and now we’re in Tampa. I like to experience new places and I’ve been here for six weeks now, and I’m missing home, but hopefully the experience of playing in the Copa, then training here will do me good.
“I’ve only had three weeks off, so my body hasn’t actually started to lose much. It’s only when you get to the fourth week that it starts happening. I took two weeks off after the Copa América, then in the third week I did a couple of runs to ensure I kept my fitness up, so I feel like I’m fit and I’m getting there and we’ll see in the next couple of games.
“I feel like I’ve lost a bit of pace, but I’m still one of the quickest at the Club, so that hasn’t really affected me. I’m just a player who gives my all and once I’m done you have to get me off because I can’t move any more!”
Antonio and his teammates will conclude their two-week stay in Florida when they take on Premier League rivals Crystal Palace at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on Saturday evening – another experience the No9 is relishing.
“It’s decent,” he exclaimed. “I actually find it crazy that we now play Premier League teams in pre-season. Before, you never would, but now it’s become the norm in these mini-tournaments.
“Football gives you great opportunities to experience new things, and this is another one, and it’s something I’ll definitely take away when I finish playing.”
Tickets for Saturday’s Stateside Cup derby with the Eagles are still available to purchase HERE.
