West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui speaks out after Michail Antonio's horror crash - 'Miracle'
West Ham paid tribute to Michail Antonio before and during their 2-1 victory over Wolves in the Premier League.
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has called it a "miracle" that Michail Antonio survived his terrifying car crash. The forward, who suffered a broken leg and underwent surgery on Sunday morning, is expected to stay in hospital for several more days.
Following their 2-1 victory over Wolves on Monday, Lopetegui spoke to Sky Sports, providing an update on the striker.
"It has been very tough for all of us, but much more for him and his family," he said. "Fortunately he was a miracle, looking at the pictures of the car. There are more important things: the dad, the brother, the son that he is.
"This is more important about Mic. We are happy because he has overcome the surgery. After, let's see. We talked with him today. The most important thing is he was a miracle."
Tomas Soucek, who scored West Ham's opener vs Wolves, also dedicated his goal to Antonio and shared that the forward was in high spirits during a video call with the team before the match. "The goal was for him. I dedicated it to him," Soucek stated.
"I said before the game I really wanted to score even more today. He's been here since I came here. He is really my favourite. I said it would be tough for me to play without him. I am happy that he is doing fine, but this is for him.
"He is a massive player and he is in my heart. It was really tough for us. I was with the kids and I saw this information on the phone. I messaged everyone asking what happened and how he was. I was so scared what was going to happen.
"It was a really tough week for him, his family and us. We had a video call with him, the whole team, before the game. He smiled to us and gave us all the best. I can't wait to visit him. He is a really lovely guy and also funny.
"He even made a few jokes before the game and he wished us all the best. He is West Ham's all-time leading scorer. He is probably one of the best players West Ham have had. He will be soon with us. These things can happen, but hopefully he will be even better soon."
