MICHAIL ANTONIO has been training with Brentford as he seeks a return to football.
The 35-year-old was released by West Ham in June after he was involved in a horrific car crash last December.
According to Sky Sports, Antonio is living near the Bees’ training base in West London and was given the chance to train with Keith Andrews’ squad.
However, he is not expected to be offered a contract by Brentford.
The Jamaica forward was driving through Epping Forest when he lost control of his Ferrari and crashed into a tree.
He had to be cut loose by emergency services after more than 45 minutes of being trapped in the wreckage.
Antonio’s leg was left in a bad way, with his femur being shattered in four places and he had to learn to walk again.
Remarkably, he was back training just four months later, although he was unable to agree to fresh terms with the Hammers and was released after becoming the club’s record Premier League goalscorer.
Despite this, West Ham announced in August that Antonio would continue to have access to “training, facilities and medical care if needed”.
Discussions over his “future involvement” at the club in an alternative capacity were also ongoing.
As part of his road to recovery, Antonio played for West Ham Under-21s in a match against Nottingham Forest.
Antonio returned to play for Jamaica during the Gold Cup on June 17, coming off the bench in the 85th minute in a 1-0 defeat by Guatemala.
He then appeared off the bench in the following two fixtures of their group stage games against Guadeloupe and Panama.
Reggae Boyz boss Steve McClaren hopes Antonio will get a club deal in the near future.
He said: “Michail Antonio has been training with Brentford, doing very well.
“Unfortunately he has pulled a calf and will be two of three weeks out.
“He is still training with Brentford so hopefully something will work out with that.”
Antonio has worked as a pundit since being sidelined through injury, but insisted he would not be seeking to make the switch full-time as he focused on being fit for the 2026 World Cup if Jamaica qualify for just the second time in their history.
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