Mighty Michail benefiting from Moyes's faith

Last week's Thursday Column - colleague Aaron Ashley's excellent piece on Romelu Lukaku's return to Chelsea - piqued my interest. Lukaku is one of several striking superstars in the Premier League but the big names are currently being outshone by the Hammers' Michail Antonio.

The former lifeguard is swimming in goals, and his tally of four strikes in three games is setting the pace in the race for the Premier League's Golden Boot. And the 31-year-old's haul would have been improved had he not had a penalty saved by Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman on the opening weekend.

West Ham fans may yearn for the comfort blanket of seeing Mark Noble step up from 12 yards but it is hard not to embrace the sheer joy provided by Antonio's attitude to the game. Can you imagine a global icon such as Lukaku, Mohamed Salah or Harry Kane celebrating breaking their club's Premier League goalscoring record by dancing with a cardboard cut-out of themselves?

Things only look set to get better for him, too. Antonio has previously been bounced from pillar to post, with managers perhaps exploiting his enthusiasm by never giving him a position, using his versatility to their advantage, not his.

As he did previously with Marko Arnatuovic, David Moyes has put his arm around Antonio, transforming him into his side's main striker.

After spending much of his career playing out wide, the Wandsworth wonder is now the man who leads West Ham's line, and his strength, speed and skill are perfect for the Hammers' counter-attacking style. This summer even saw Antonio handed the number nine shirt vacated by Said Benrahma and his goal tally to date suggests he is enjoying his status as the club's main man.

Let's not go overboard, though. Like another former Irons number nine, Andy Carroll, Antonio can be injury-prone. However, in a roundabout way, that may even have helped him at times. The best players are often those who are unavailable and Antonio has a habit of proving that point, scoring twice at Burnley last season on his return from a month out.

More spells on the sidelines are likely and the club's failure to sign a recognised back-up striker has to be a worry, especially with their Europa League campaign starting later this month.

However, to support West Ham is to believe in the impossible and their new number nine's current form ignites wild fantasies of Champions League football being played in Stratford. That probably won't happen, but seven points from the first nine available means they're only 33 from the magic 40 and from there, we can start to believe.

So what next for Antonio? International recognition, of course, but not with England. After he failed to win a cap following a couple of call-ups to the Three Lions, Tuesday brought the news that he has been selected for Jamaica's upcoming World Cup qualifiers and he is expected to make his debut in Sunday's clash against Panama.

Many a Hammers fan would have loved to have seen the forward feature for England at Euro 2020 and he may well get to the 2022 World Cup, albeit with the Reggae Boyz.

While he's not quite Jamie Vardy, it would be a fitting reward for a player who has worked his way through the ranks to establish himself as one of the Premier League's most feared forwards.

A word, too, for Moyes. Written off after difficult spells at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland, the Scot was unfairly overlooked for the permanent Hammers' post after saving them in 2017-18 but has excelled since succeeding his own replacement, Manuel Pellegrini, 18 months later.

The 58-year-old was previously pigeonholed as a steady hand to shore things up, but he has turned West Ham into a box-office outfit.

His side finished sixth last season, scoring the joint-sixth-highest number of goals while conceding more than Aston Villa and Brighton. After three games this term, the Hammers are tied with Manchester City as the Premier League’s top goalscorers, while they are also still to keep a clean sheet. Is it me or do these statistics jettison the cliches regarding Moyes being a stubbornly pragmatic coach?

Excitement is almost guaranteed with Antonio around and with the coach playing to his strengths, things can only get better. That said, there will always be ups and downs with the Irons, especially with European football to factor into the current campaign.

However, if their new number nine stays fit, it could be a special season in Stratford.

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