Michail Antonio faces year long wait to discover if he'll play football again after horror car accident

Michail Antonio won't know for a year if he'll play football again after a horror car accident.

The 34-year-old West Ham forward has undergone surgery on a lower-limb fracture in a London hospital after the terrifying crash on December 7, where he was stuck inside his £260,000 Ferrari for nearly an hour as emergency services tried to free him. Antonio was taken to hospital, where medics were forced to operate on serious leg injuries.

The smash happened shortly before lunchtime on the fringes of Epping Forest in Essex, with a statement released by the Premier League side on social media saying: “Everyone at the club wishes Michail a speedy recovery and wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the football family at large for the overwhelming support shown since yesterday’s news."

They added: "Michail will continue to be monitored in hospital over the coming days. The club will provide further updates when appropriate."

And speaking on talkSPORT, veteran presenter Jim White has revealed that the forward - who has been a West Ham player since 2015 - now faces an agonising 12 months before he'll know if he can play football again. White said: “I'm told this morning (December 9) he (Antonio) remains in a stable condition in hospital, receiving the full support of the NHS and the West Ham medical staff. Now he has sustained serious damage to one of his legs and it's thought is going to be a long haul recovery, and it will be at least 12 months before it's known whether or not he'll play football again.

“I was told this morning Mikel is a fighter. He's in a very strong physical condition because he is a top class footballer and that may help him and come as a bit of an advantage when it comes to his recovery. But everybody