It is five months now since Michail Antonio’s contract at West Ham United expired and, by his own admission, he misses life at the Premier League outfit.

While the Hammers brought Lukasz Fabianski back on a short-term deal – the Polish veteran providing back-up for Alphonse Areola and Mads Hermansen – Michail Antonio will not be returning to the London Stadium.

Not as a player, anyway.

The experienced centre-forward remains a free-agent, though West Ham United’s highest all-time Premier League marksman has not given up hope of a fresh start at the age of 35. Michail Antonio was spotted training down the road in West London a few weeks ago, though Brentford have no plans to sign the Jamaica international.

Antonio makes no secret of the fact he is pining for the hustle and bustle of Premier League life.

But, speaking on the Kenny Allstar’s Number Ones show, the former Nottingham Forest, Reading and Southampton powerhouse admits that he misses Rush Green just as much as he misses the roar of West Ham’s home ground.

Michail Antonio misses life at West Ham United’s training ground

Whether it be the build-up to a crucial fixture or sending shivers down the spine of an unsuspecting Declan Rice, Antonio misses the laughter and the good times, as well as the feeling of finding the net in arguably the world’s greatest domestic competition.

“It’s the camaraderie, the banter, the people we used to chill with and just run jokes,” Antonio admits. “That’s one thing I used to do, prank people, all that madness all the time. It was just unbelievable.

“The craziest prank? The prank I did on Declan Rice.

“It’s coming up to Halloween, we are doing an appearance type thing. I’m in the back of a car in a Mike Myers mask and I jump out. Deccers! Oh man, that was dark!”

Antonio has not given up hope of resuming his playing career, even after Brentford closed the door.

“My hopes, to get a team going and do what I love,” he adds, nearly one year on from the car crash which brought a premature end to his long spell at West Ham.

“I’m not going to let my career be defined by a car crash. [I want] to show everybody that I’ve still got it and enjoy the thing that I love.”

Antonio feels Graham Potter should have kept a few of the Hammers’ old heads

Antonio was one of many long-serving campaigners who departed over the summer. Aaron Cresswell, Kurt Zouma, and Fabianski also bid farewell [the latter albeit briefly], while Vladimir Coufal has been in sensational form at Hoffenheim since moving to the Bundesliga.

Antonio feels that the loss of so many leaders, in such a short space of time, did Graham Potter few favours before his sacking at the end of September.

“I just feel like they lost the culture,” Antonio said recently, before that Nuno Espirito Santo-inspired turnaround.

“They lost the feel of the club right now. I feel like they need to find that back.

“Obviously, confidence is completely down. And one thing with West Ham, they have the quality – the players they have there are quality.

“It’s just finding the people to drill into them into finding the culture, finding a way of playing and bringing them back to who they are.”