Michail Antonio acknowledges his error in judgment after being substituted during the match against Nottingham Forest.
West Ham United forward Michail Antonio recently opened up about a blunder he made during his return to his former club Nottingham Forest last weekend. Antonio, who had been sidelined with a knee injury since November, made his long-awaited comeback at the City Ground, which must have been a poignant moment for him.
His return was likely a relief for West Ham manager David Moyes, given the ongoing speculation about his job security amid poor form. Not long ago, there were rumors linking Michael Carrick to the managerial position at West Ham, and results under Moyes have been less than stellar.
However, Antonio’s return did not go as planned, as West Ham suffered a 2-0 defeat against Forest. Antonio himself admitted to making a significant error when leaving the pitch after being substituted in the 75th minute.
During an interview on the ‘Footballer’s Football Podcast’ with Tom Cairney, Antonio confessed that he inadvertently walked towards the Forest fans instead of acknowledging the West Ham supporters. Despite his limited stint at Forest compared to his extensive time at West Ham, Antonio seemed momentarily disoriented, forgetting which set of fans he should be acknowledging.
He recounted, “When I got subbed off I got a standing ovation and I’m not going to lie, as I was doing it, because I walked off the pitch near the halfway line, I started walking round to my left and I was like I should have went right as that’s where the West Ham fans were but it was a natural direction for me to walk round. And what saved me was that when [Emerson] walked off he walked in the exact direction I did, so I was like I’m not going to get no flak for that because Eme did that exact same thing I did!”
Despite the mishap, West Ham fans are likely to forgive Antonio, as they were just relieved to see him back on the field. Looking ahead, David Moyes faces a crucial match against Brentford on Monday night, and while Antonio’s return is a boost, Moyes is reportedly eyeing the addition of a “brilliant” new striker to bolster the team’s attacking options in the summer.
