Last Updated: February 25, 2021 3:48 pm
Antonio to switch to Jamaica
Michail Antonio has decided to switch allegiances from England to Jamaica in order to play at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
Despite being called up to the England squad on a number of occasions, the attacker was unable to secure a senior cap. An injury after being opted for by Gareth Southgate in 2017 prevented Antonio from doing so.
‘Michail Antonio was withdrawn from the squad after being assessed by both the Hammers’ and the England medical teams and will remain at Rush Green during the international break,’ read a statement from West Ham at the time. This marked the last occasion on which he joined up with the Three Lions squad.
Prior to this, Antonio was named in Sam Allardyce’s squad during his brief stint as England manager.
Sam Allardyce has named his first England squad ahead of the World Cup qualifier with Slovakia next Sunday. pic.twitter.com/DC92zIW1ld
— Sky Bet (@SkyBet) August 28, 2016
Since then, the number of English strikers available to Southgate has increased exponentially. Although Antonio has maintained good form in the Premier League, the likes of Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Danny Ings and Marcus Rashford have all continued to play at a similar, if not higher level.
Antonio rejected Jamaica
Antonio will now join Jamaica, whom he rejected in 2016. The Hammers star had hopes of a call-up to the England squad, however it failed to work out for him.
“Jamaica called but if I keep doing what I’m doing hopefully I can get an England call,” said Antonio in 2016, after being bought by West Ham.
LONDON, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: Michail Antonio of West Ham United looks dejected during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Burnley at London Stadium on March 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images)
“You can see it with Dele Alli, he’s come from League One and he’s already in the England squad. You see it with Vardy. Hopefully I can get the call-up as well.”
Antonio will join up with fellow Premier League players Michael Hector and Bobby Decordova-Reid as well as highly-rated Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, on Jamaica’s books.
Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake, one of the MLS’s highest rated shot-stoppers, adds further quality to a team who are continually improving. They could yet provide an upset, should they reach the 2022 World Cup.
David Moyes provides Michail Antonio update ahead of Liverpool amid claims of lengthy layoff
West Ham boss David Moyes provides positive Michail Antonio update ahead of Tottenham
This article was edited by Conor Laird.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | D | P |
| 1 | Manchester City FC | 25 | 35 | 59 |
| 2 | Manchester United FC | 25 | 21 | 49 |
| 3 | Leicester City FC | 25 | 17 | 49 |
| 4 | West Ham United FC | 25 | 10 | 45 |
| 5 | Chelsea FC | 25 | 16 | 43 |
| 6 | Liverpool FC | 25 | 11 | 40 |
| 7 | Everton FC | 24 | 4 | 40 |
| 8 | Aston Villa FC | 23 | 11 | 36 |
| 9 | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 24 | 10 | 36 |
| 10 | Leeds United | 25 | 0 | 35 |
| 11 | Arsenal FC | 25 | 5 | 34 |
| 12 | Wolverhampton Wanderers FC | 25 | -6 | 33 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace FC | 25 | -14 | 32 |
| 14 | Southampton FC | 25 | -12 | 30 |
| 15 | Burnley FC | 25 | -12 | 28 |
| 16 | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 25 | -6 | 26 |
| 17 | Newcastle United FC | 25 | -17 | 25 |
| 18 | Fulham FC | 25 | -11 | 22 |
| 19 | West Bromwich Albion | 25 | -36 | 14 |
| 20 | Sheffield United FC | 25 | -26 | 11 |
| Player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 17 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 15 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 13 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 13 |
| Calvert-Lewin, Dominic | Everton FC | 13 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 12 |
| Gundogan, Ilkay | Manchester City FC | 11 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 10 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 9 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 8 |
| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Aubameyang, Pierre-Emerick | Arsenal FC | 8 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 8 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 7 |
| Player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Lundstram, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Evans, Jonny | Leicester City FC | 0 | 7 |
| Egan, John | Sheffield United FC | 1 | 6 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion FC | 1 | 6 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 6 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 7 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 6 |
| Doucoure, Abdoulaye | Everton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Hojbjerg, Pierre | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 0 | 6 |
| Xhaka, Granit | Arsenal FC | 1 | 5 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 6 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 6 |
| Luiz, Douglas | Aston Villa FC | 0 | 5 |
| Kante, N`Golo | Chelsea FC | 0 | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 0 | 5 |
| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
| Soucek, Tomas | West Ham United FC | 1 | 4 |
| Player | Team | Assists |
|---|---|---|
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 6 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City FC | 5 |
| Firmino, Roberto | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Ward-Prowse, James | Southampton FC | 5 |
| Werner, Timo | Chelsea FC | 5 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 5 |
| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United FC | 5 |
| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City FC | 4 |
| Wilson, Callum | Newcastle United FC | 4 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 4 |
Source: 101greatgoals.com
