West Ham striker Antonio reveals early bust-up with Moyes

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West Ham striker Antonio reveals early bust-up with Moyes

West Ham striker Michail Antonio admits his relationship with manager David Moyes was a slow burn.

The Scot now has so much faith in Antonio that he has been confident to turn down signings to support his only striker for more than a year, preferring to stick with him over a gamble in the market.

But their relationship has not always been so straightforward. During Moyes's first spell at West Ham, he dropped Antonio from a squad after he was late to a team meeting — a clear line in the sand.

“When he came the first time, there was a bit of a fall-out between me and him," Antonio told the London Evening Standard. “We moved on from that quite quickly and finished the season quite well.

“One thing with the gaffer is that even if you've had a falling-out, he will easily forget. You can go in and have a full-on row with each other, but from that row we both respect each other as player and manager."

That does not mean there is no longer the need for choice words to be exchanged every now and then.

“There are definitely some voices being raised and digging people out," he says.

“Scary? Yeah. It is needed. People need to be lifted and know if they're not doing well. That is one thing we get from him and from player to player. Everyone demands the best from each other; the coaching staff and players, we all demand it and we will keep pushing each other."