Michail Antonio has been a great servant to West Ham United but there is a growing feeling that the time is right to move on from the experienced forward.
The striker is the Hammers’ top scorer in Premier League history and has no doubt made a stellar impact during his time at the London Stadium.
However, throughout last season and the start of the 2024/25 campaign, the striker hasn’t been the same player we’ve seen in previous years.
Tim Steidten saw this too which is why German talisman Niclas Fullkrug was brought in to bolster the competition up top.
Following Antonio’s most recent performance for Jamaica, it feels as if Lopetegui now has no other option but to bench the striker for Fullkrug in the near future.
The Reggae Boyz drew 0-0 with Cuba despite having a dominant game.
Antonio was the focal point of most attacks and although two of his shots were on target and only one was offside (Sofascore), he only had 26 touches of the ball and only managed to complete 33% of his dribbles during the clash.
However, the reasoning behind why Antonio shouldn’t start the Hammers’ next few games isn’t just down to his recent form.
Last season was one of the worst in terms of goals for the attacker’s career. Granted, injuries need to be taken into account but that shouldn’t stop him from getting at least five goals.
Fullkrug, on the other hand, managed to bag 16 goals across all competitions for Borussia Dortmund and Werder Bremen while even setting his teammates up 10 times.
The German was signed for £27million and was brought in to help improve the Hammers’ attack alongside Crysencio Summerville.
While there is still plenty of time left in the season for Fullkrug to be involved in the Hammers’ team, it feels as if now is the perfect opportunity for the German to show Lopetegui that he deserves to start over Antonio.