Antonio was not part of West Ham’s matchday squad for their 1-0 win at Manchester United in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.

 

The striker was fit and available though, Pearce has admitted, with the Hammers simply opting to give him extra rest ahead of the Leeds trip.

 

 

As such, Antonio will be available for West Ham’s trip to take on Leeds in the Premier League this weekend.

 

“He was fit for tonight”, Pearce was quoted as saying by the BBC.

 

 

“We just decided not to use him.”

 

Manuel Lanzini scored after nine minutes at Old Trafford and Manchester United could find no way back into the game, crashing out of the EFL Cup as a result.

 

 

West Ham’s reward for beating Manchester United is a home tie against Manchester City, while weekend opponents Leeds will travel to Arsenal.