HAMMERS WILL MISS MICHAIL

DAVID MOYES claims West Ham will miss Michail Antonio at Anfield today as much as Liverpool miss Virgil van Dijk.

But the Hammers boss is confident striker Antonio (above) will not be sidelined for anywhere near as long as the Reds defender.

Antonio has a hamstring injury but should be back after the international break, meaning he could miss the Liverpool game and the visit of Fulham next Saturday.

Asked whether not having Antonio was as big for his side as Liverpool not having Van Dijk, Moyes said: “Of course we will miss him, but we have been scoring goals from different areas.

“Since lockdown I think Michail has been as important as any striker in the league.

“But we don’t think it is too bad. He’s already on the bike. He’s in really good condition. Hopefully we can get him back quite quickly.”

Antonio has three goals in six games this term and scored eight in nine at the end of last season.

In his absence, Moyes has challenged £45million flop Sebastien Haller to take his chance on what is set to be his first league start of the campaign.

Moyes said: “Seb has had lots of time to settle in to Premier League football, to see whether he knows what it’s about. He’s got a chance to show what he can do.”

West Ham are unbeaten in four league games and their strong start to the season has prompted talk of a new contract for Moyes.

He signed an 18-month deal with an option to extend when he returned to the club in December, but would like a longer-term deal after winning over the doubters.

Moyes said: “You need time to build something. We need to try to buy correctly, not everybody can be a £20m or £30m signing.

“The owners have given me as much control as I would possibly want. We are trying to put things in place not just for now but for the future as well. But there isn’t any pressure on anybody.

“Let’s wait and see. We have only won two and drawn two, so let’s see what happens over the next few months.”