West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui believes Michail Antonio will recover from his horror accident to play football again.

Antonio, 34, suffered ‘a lower limb fracture’ among multiple injuries after an incident in the Essex area involving his silver Ferrari last Saturday, with the attacker rushed to hospital.

The east London club then provided an update on the player’s condition, informing the public that he was “conscious, communicating and is currently under close surveillance”, as footage of a Ferrari silver with considerable damage to the right front fender has surfaced.

Local police have appealed for dashcam footage and witnesses as officers continue to investigate the serious collision in Epping on Coppice Row which took place shortly after 12.50pm.

After the accident, it emerged that the player – who has since undergone surgery – was trapped for more than 45 minutes as firefighters attempted to free him from his car, with some reports claiming Antonio’s career was ruined. in danger.

However, speaking ahead of Monday’s trip to Bournemouth, Lopetegui expressed confidence that the Hammers’ all-time Premier League top scorer will return to the field in the future.

Julen Lopetegui believes Michail Antonio will recover from horror accident to play football

Antonio was involved in a serious car accident on Saturday afternoon which left the 34-year-old with “a fractured lower limb” (pictured – the attacker’s Ferrari after the accident)

Antonio remains in hospital and some reports claim his career is in danger.

He said: “The most important thing is that he is alive, he is fine. He broke his femur, but he will definitely recover.

“He’s going to need time. It was time. Now it was time but the good news is that there is time because when we see the car was terrible, the accident, that’s why we are happy.

“Because in the end, even if we are unhappy to have lost a very important player for us, we are happy because he is going to be ready.

“Now he’s strong, he’s recovered next month for sure and he’s going to be ready to be a player.

“The first thing is to be a man and then to be a player.”

Antonio is expected to remain in hospital for weeks and questions remain about his ability to return to his career.

Sources close to Antonio say he’s lucky to be alive, but he was well enough to face his West Ham team-mates and share a joke before watching them score a huge win over Wolves on Monday as he watched from his hospital bed.

Mail Sport then exclusively revealed that senior members of the squad had gone to visit Antonio to show support for their friend and teammate – and more are planning to call in the coming days.

Lopetegui admitted patience was needed but insisted Antonio would return to the field

West Ham paid tribute to Antonio ahead of their 2-1 win over Wolves on Monday

Goalscorers Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen (above) also dedicated their goals to the striker.

Hammers midfielder Tomas Soucek dedicated his goal against Wolves on Monday night to Antonio and said he was looking forward to visiting him.

“He’s a huge player and he’s in my heart,” Soucek said after the victory against Gary O’Neil’s team.

“It was really hard for us. I was with the kids and saw it on my phone. I messaged everyone asking what happened and how they were doing. I was so afraid of what was going to happen. It was a really difficult week for him, his family and us.

“We had a video call with him, with the whole team, before the match. He smiled at us and gave us the best. He even made a few jokes before the match and he wished us the best. I I can’t wait to visit him.

West Ham paid tribute to Antonio ahead of the Wolves clash by warming up in ‘Antonio 9’ jerseys, while they also stepped out in tops bearing his name.

Club captain Jarrod Bowen then joined Soucek in dedicating his goal to the Jamaican star.

Meanwhile, Lopetegui’s comments come after The times reported that West Ham are considering a heartwarming gesture to support Antonio and his family during his recovery.

The striker is not expected to feature for the remainder of this season due to the injuries he suffered in the accident and his contract is set to expire this summer.

Antonio is West Ham’s top scorer in the Premier League and has scored 83 times for the club.

West Ham released a statement on Sunday afternoon confirming that Antonio had undergone surgery.

However, the report claims the Hammers could extend the 34-year-old’s contract, with discussions expected to take place once he leaves the central London hospital where he remains.

Antonio is said to earn more than £90,000 a week, with the report adding that the club do not have insurance to cover the situation and will therefore pay his wages for the rest of the season regardless.

The striker is set to turn 35 in March and has 83 goals for the club since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2015, while he is also their record goalscorer in the Premier League.

If the Hammers were to extend Antonio’s contract, it would come after giving former defender Angelo Ogbonna an extra year when he suffered a serious knee injury in November 2021.

Lopetegui’s side are currently 14th in the Premier League and travel to the Vitality Stadium to face Bournemouth on Monday evening.