Gary Lineker and the Match of the Day team sent a classy message to Michail Antonio after the West Ham star crashed his car on Saturday, sending their ‘best wishes’ to the forward.
Antonio was involved in a horror accident in Theydon Bois, Essex, and was subsequently airlifted to a hospital in central London.
It took almost an hour for emergency services to free the 34-year-old from the wreckage of his mangled Ferrari, with large parts of the vehicle having to be cut away during the operation.
West Ham later confirmed that Antonio was communicating again and in a stable condition and messages of support continue to flood in for the Jamaica international from around the footballing world.
It has since emerged that Antonio’s ex-wife, Debbie, rushed from her home in Manchester to be at the footballer’s bedside.
‘West Ham United can confirm that Michail Antonio is in a stable condition following a road traffic accident this afternoon in the Essex area,’ a statement on the club’s official website read on Saturday evening.
‘Michail is conscious and communicating and is currently under close supervision at a central London hospital.
‘At this difficult time, we kindly ask everyone to respect the privacy of Michail and his family. The club will make no further comment this evening, but will issue a further update in due course.’
As updates continued to filter through regarding Antonio’s condition, Lineker took the opportunity to reach out to the striker with a heartfelt message at the start of Saturday’s Match of the Day programme.
‘Before we get to our first game, we would like to send our best wishes to West Ham’s Michail Antonio, who is in a stable condition following a road traffic accident this afternoon,’ Lineker said.
After reading out West Ham’s statement on Antonio, the ex-England and Tottenham forward added: ‘Here is hoping for a full and speedy recovery.’
More to follow.
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