Man United will be 'thankful' Antonio suspended as West Ham talisman stars again

Antonio has been on fire for the Hammers this season, netting his fifth goal in five straight games.

He got the first as David Moyes' side got their Europa League campaign off to the perfect start with a 2-0 victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

Antonio will be a big miss for West Ham as he is not available to play United having been sent off against Southampton last weekend.

It will be the first test for the Hammers without their talisman and the decision not to sign another striker will come under scrutiny.

Sebastian Haller was sold to Ajax last January and never replaced - the striker went on to score four goals for the Dutch club in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

talkSPORT host Jason Cundy lavished praised on the Hammers after the win on Thursday night.

He told The Sports Bar: "West Ham were brilliant. I'm a Chelsea fan and you're a Spurs fan, let's show some respect.

"I really enjoy watching West Ham play. Under David Moyes over the last 18 months, I've really enjoyed West Ham play.

"They are a good team, well organised, but Antonio will be a huge miss against Manchester United over the weekend after that red card.

"I'd love to know what West Ham fans think about the fact they didn't go out in the transfer market and get a replacement for [Sebastian] Haller, who scored a hat-trick yesterday for Ajax. He cleaned up.

"That must be a fear of theirs now he is not going to play against Manchester United at the weekend.

"If you're a Manchester United fan you will be thinking 'thank god he's not playing'."

West Ham have continued their brilliant form into the 2021/22 season following a remarkable campaign that saw them finish sixth last year.

Moyes now has the task of balancing both Europe and the Premier League, but was a happy man after beating Dinamo Zagreb.

"I was really pleased with the way the players played," said Moyes. "Zagreb have a really good history in European football so I knew it was going to be a tough game and the players were made aware of that.

"It's something new for us, certainly to someone like Declan Rice who's played for his country but not in Europe for his club, so it's something he's going to have to get used to as it is for most of the players here.

"I'm really excited about the prospect of slightly not knowing how good they could be. We brought in some new players tonight and didn't look any the worse for it.

"Bigger challenges will come and my target is still to still be in Europe after Christmas, when other teams come in. It's only one game, but the players are in a good place."

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