'It was a miracle' - Michail Antonio lucky to be alive as Julen Lopetegui says West Ham forward is 'recovering well' after horror crash

The 34-year-old had surgery on a lower limb fracture following his accident last weekend, with the Jamaica international having to be cut from the wreckage of his £260,000 Ferrari FF after colliding with a tree in Theydon Bois, Essex. Now, Hammers manager Lopetegui says the striker is "recovering well" and the team will visit him in hospital this weekend.

He told reporters: "We are going to visit him [Friday] or [Saturday]. But the main thing is we are happy because he is recovering well. We are close to him and his family and we wish him the best for the next days. The best news about Michail Antonio was that he was able to talk with us before the [Wolves] match - [because] looking at the car crash, it was one miracle [he was OK]. Now he is strong, he is recovering himself in the next months to be a man first and then a player."

Reports have claimed Antonio, who has been at West Ham since 2015, may not be able to walk without crutches for up to a year and he may never play football again. He and the footballing world will hope he can return to action as soon as possible.

According to the PA news agency, Antonio is expected to remain in hospital for weeks as he recovers from multiple injuries. The veteran forward, who has scored 83 goals in 323 games for the east London outfit, had a video call with his West Ham team-mates on Monday before they beat Wolves 2-1.

While Antonio continues his recovery, his West Ham side - who sit 14th in the Premier League table - travel to eighth-placed Bournemouth on Monday night in their next English top-flight fixture.