Michail Antonio trains with EFL club as he looks to make return to English football

Michail Antonio is training with Watford in a bid to earn a permanent deal with the club.

The 36-year-old is a free agent after leaving Qatari outfit Al Sailiya earlier this year.

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Antonio joined the club in February on a short-term deal, which expired at the end of the season.

After four appearances for Al Sailiya, he is now looking to secure a return to English football.

Antonio trains with Watford

Antonio is currently training with the Hornets, having been pictured at their Hertfordshire base.

The Jamaica striker could be handed a deal by the Championship side if he impresses manager Alessio Dionisi.

It comes after sporting director Luke Dowling revealed last week that the club need to sign a new striker.

Dionisi currently has three senior centre-forwards at his disposal in the form of Luca Kjerrumgaard, Mamadou Doumbia and Iker Bravo.

However, the trio are all aged 23 or under, with experience needed ahead of the new campaign.

Antonio has 142 Championship appearances to his name across spells with Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Reading.

Those matches saw the forward score a total of 28 goals in the division.

Meanwhile, he is West Ham’s all-time leading scorer in Premier League history with 68 strikes in 268 outings.

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Antonio has not played in England since leaving the Hammers last summer.

His departure came seven months after he suffered a lower limb fracture following a car crash in December 2024.

He previously held talks with Charlton Athletic over a move before signing for Al Sailiya.

It came after a proposed deal with Leicester City fell through due to a training ground injury.

Since leaving his last club, Antonio has also been in negotiations with multiple EFL sides this summer.

His latest suitors Watford are set to begin their Championship campaign this weekend.

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The Hornets host Southampton at Vicarage Road on Sunday, with kick-off at 1.30pm live on talkSPORT 2.

It follows their Carabao Cup first round victory over Crawley on Saturday.

This season marks the club’s fifth consecutive campaign in the second-tier following relegation in 2022.