I don’t think David Moyes is being completely truthful when he says Michail Antonio is ‘very close to being fit’. While it’s true that Antonio probably had a minor injury against Freiburg in the Europa League, it’s also true that Moyes has a history of ‘playing it safe’ when it comes to injury reports. So, it won’t be a surprise if Antonio makes the start against Eddie Howe’s Newcastle in the Premier League.
The team performed reasonably well in Germany, with Jarrod bowen and mr. Kudus playing interchangeably, but the Irons manager will be eager to have Antonio back in the fold if he passes the fitness test.
It’s important to stress that the forward will not be ruled out in a few days, it’s simply a question of whether the medical staff think there’s a risk of further injury.
Moyes said: “I’ll need to check on Michail. He hasn’t trained yet, but he’s done some running around with the medical team. We’ll see if he can play over the next few days.”
Newcastle are in a similar situation, having to make a late call on Antonio’s podcast co-host Callum Wilson, who has scored 12 goals in the last 13 Premier League games against West Ham. Wilson has missed recent games due to a hamstring injury, which he picked up against Man City, Burnley and PSG.
In his last appearance at the London Stadium, Wilson scored twice as the Magpies beat us 5-1. Another player who impressed is Joelinton, who will also face a final fitness test.
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