LONDON (AP) 鈥� West Ham striker Michail Antonio is 鈥�100%鈥� confident he will play again as he that left him with a 鈥渃ompletely shattered鈥� leg and a realization 鈥渉ow close I was to dying.鈥�
Antonio crashed his Ferrari into a tree just outside London on a wet and windy day on Dec. 7.
In an , the Jamaica international said he broke his femur bone in four places and required an operation where surgeons 鈥減ut a pole in my thigh with four bolts.鈥�
Antonio, who turns 35 this month, recently went to see the remains of his car at a scrapyard. He said: 鈥淚t gave me a weird feeling in my stomach. It just made me realize how close I was to dying.鈥�
He has been told his rehabilitation will take 鈥渂etween six-to-12 months鈥� before his leg heals properly, and feels he is 鈥渁lready two-to-three months ahead of where I should be."
鈥淵es, 100%. I will play again,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he most difficult part is that I almost wasn鈥檛 there for my children,鈥� added Antonio, who has six kids. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just made me happy, positive about life, because I鈥檝e got another chance at life.鈥�
Antonio has made more than 300 appearances for West Ham since joining from Nottingham Forest in 2015, and played in all 14 games this season before the incident.
___
AP soccer:
The Associated Press
