Finally back from injury after rupturing his knee ligaments just before the World Cup, Manuel Lanzini played 14 minutes against Fulham at the weekend.
The Argentine will now slowly but surely integrate Manuel Pellegrini’s plans at West Ham in the coming weeks, and there will be hope at London Stadium that the 26-year-old will return to his pre-injury form.
Lanzini had scored five goals and picked up seven assists last season, and is contracted to the Hammers until 2020, having arrived for £11m in 2016 after a successful loan spell from Al-Jazira.
However, there’s a good chance the attacking midfielder will not be finishing his career in London, hoping to do so in Argentina, preferably at River Plate, where his career as a professional started.
That means we are likely to see Lanzini on this side of the Pacific Ocean for the foreseeable future.
Our guess is he’ll return after he hits the 30 mark. That is, of course, if he returns to his previous best with West Ham in the coming months.
