Michail Antonio, 34, ‘could be forced to RETIRE from football’ after his horror Ferrari crash, as his ‘best-case scenario’ is revealed following serious limb damage

Michail Antonio’s potential injury recovery forecast has reportedly been revealed after the West Ham star suffered a car accident last weekend.

The Hammers confirmed in a statement on Saturday that the 34-year-old had suffered ‘a fracture of the lower limb’ following a crash involving Antonio’s silver Ferrari, which saw the striker rushed to hospital.

The shocking news emerged on Saturday afternoon, as clubs and figures from across the football world rushed to pay their tributes and send well wishes to the Jamaican international.

The east London club later provided an update on the player’s condition, advising that he was ‘conscious and communicating and currently under close supervision’ when images emerged of a silver Ferrari with significant damage to the front right wing.

The accident is believed to have been in the Essex area, with local police appealing for dashcam footage as officers investigate the serious collision in Epping on Coppice Row, which happened shortly after 12.50pm.

With West Ham later revealing the injury suffered by their striker, talkSPORT’s Jim White shed light on the player’s reported expected recovery period after suffering ‘serious damage to one of his legs’.

“I was told this morning that he is in a stable condition in hospital and has the full support of the NHS and West Ham medical staff,” he told talkSPORT.

‘He has now suffered serious damage to one of his legs and it is thought the recovery will be lengthy. It will take at least twelve months before it is known whether he will play football again.

‘This morning I was told that Mikhail is a fighter. He is in a very strong physical condition because he is a top footballer and that can help him and give him an advantage when it comes to his recovery.”

It comes after a report from The Guardian had claimed that the player could undergo ‘at least a year’ of rehabilitation before returning to action.

Furthermore, the report states that there are fears that the player will be forced to ‘retire’ as a result of his injuries.

As reported by The sunAntonio’s first words after the crash were: ‘Where am I? What’s going on? What car am I in?’

Samuel Woods was driving home after walking his dog in Epping Forest and saw the car on the side of the road.

Woods told The Sun: “I said ‘hello’ to him to see if anyone was still alive.

‘I heard sirens and told him help was on the way.

‘He was so disoriented. He said, “Where am I? What’s going on? What car am I in?”

‘The ambulance crew arrived very quickly. I couldn’t believe what happened. The car smelled of gasoline.”

Woods stated that Antonio could not understand what he had heard. He added: ‘I looked at him and thought, ‘He’s in big trouble.’

“I just said, ‘You’ve had an accident.’ He didn’t answer. He looked around trying to understand what I just said. He was on the passenger side.”

As messages from around the match poured in for Antonio, his former manager Martin Allen, who coached him when he was on loan from Reading to Cheltenham Town in 2009, has sent an emotional tribute to the star.

He posted on X on Saturday: ‘Michail Antonio has been fantastic for West Ham over the last few years. I loaned him out and took him to London to see his family after the games.

‘He’s a diamond guy and after wiping away a few tears, I hope he makes a full recovery.’

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A day later, he suggested the shocking incident could help a struggling Hammers side move forward in their crucial position Premier League collide with Wolves on Monday, say: ‘Today would have been a very tough day on the training field. The shock of a teammate in the hospital.

‘It will be tough for the players and the manager to mentally prepare for this match.

‘Let’s hope MA [Michail Antonio] can be inspiring for all of us supporters, his teammates and the manager.”

Shortly afterwards he added: ‘West Ham United win tomorrow night. I’m sure this tough weekend will encourage the players, manager and staff.

“Even after a testing period, I think the West Ham United supporters will unite and do everything they can to support the players and the manager. It must be so.’

After the crash, it turned out that the player was trapped for more than 45 minutes as firefighters tried to free him from his car.

Essex Police confirmed they were launching an investigation into the incident which took place on Coppice Row in Epping just before 1pm and appealed for witnesses to help their investigation.

“We were called to Coppice Row, Epping, shortly after 12.50pm on Saturday, December 7, following reports of what is believed to be a single car collision involving a Ferrari,” a spokesperson said.

‘Emergency services attended the scene and the driver was taken to hospital. The car has been recovered and we are no longer on site.

“An investigation will be carried out by our Road Policing Unit. If you have any information, CCTV footage, dashcam or other footage relating to this incident, please contact us.”

Essex Fire Brigade also confirmed that firefighters had released a man trapped in his car.

A statement said: ‘Staff were called to High Road, Epping at 1.02pm this afternoon following reports of a road traffic collision involving one car.

‘Upon arrival, firefighters reported that a man was trapped in his car and attempted to free him at 1.45pm. The victim was left with the ambulance service.’

Antonio has made 323 appearances and scored 83 goals since joining West Ham in 2015. He is West Ham’s record scorer in the Premier League and has been awarded the annual Player of the Year award.