West Ham striker Michail Antonio is in a stable condition following his involvement in a car crash earlier today. The Premier League club have confirmed that the 34-year-old is "conscious and communicating".

Antonio was taken to a hospital in central London after an incident in Essex. West Ham issued a statement confirming the news after images of a smashed up Ferrari circulated on social media. It is unconfirmed whether the vehicle belongs to Antonio.

The East London outfit have issued a fresh statement confirming that Antonio is stable. They have asked for their player's privacy to be respected.

A club statement read: “West Ham United can confirm that Michail Antonio is in a stable condition following a road traffic accident this afternoon in the Essex area.

“Michail is conscious and communicating and is currently under close supervision at a central London hospital.

“At this difficult time, we kindly ask everyone to respect the privacy of Michail and his family. The club will make no further comment this evening, but will issue a further update in due course.”

The positive update comes after an earlier statement in which West Ham sent their well-wishes to the Jamaica international.

It read: “West Ham United can confirm striker Michail Antonio has today been involved in a road traffic accident.

“The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the club are with Michail, his family and friends at this time. The Club will issue an update in due course.”

Antonio is West Ham’s all-time Premier League top scorer with 68 goals. He has scored 83 times across all competitions for the club, for whom he has played since 2015.

The striker has enjoyed a fairytale rise up the leagues, having started his career in non-league with Tooting and Mitcham. He joined Reading in 2008 and had loan spells with the likes of Cheltenham, Colchester and Southampton to further his development.

In 2012, Antonio joined Sheffield Wednesday after a brief loan spell before moving to Forest two years later. His consistency during his early years at West Ham saw him called up to several England squads but he never made his debut for the Three Lions.

Several Premier League clubs sent well wishes to Antonio. Manchester United responded: “Sending love and strength to Michail, his family, his friends and everyone at West Ham.

Chelsea said: “The thoughts of everyone at Chelsea FC are with Michail and his family.”

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