West Ham United forward, Manuel Lanzini‘s World Cup dream was brutally vanquished on Friday after suffering a serious injury.
The Argentine National Team announced that Lanzini tore the ACL in his right knee, effectively ruling him out of the World Cup as well as a majority of the upcoming Premier League season for West Ham. It’s a tough blow for Lanzini, who at 25-years of age was set to make his World Cup debut this summer.
Instead, Lanzini will have to watch with millions of others from home.
The Argentine playmaker’s loss will be felt more for West Ham than Argentina, which has an embarrassment of riches in attack.
Lanzini scored five goals and assisted on six others in 27 Premier League matches last season as West Ham managed to stave off relegation, but under fellow South American Manuel Pellegrini, Lanzini could have taken his game to a new level, feeling more comfortable in a familiar style of play.
Still, the Argentine playmaker was making a name for himself within the national team, and a goal vs. Italy in a friendly match in Manchester may have even pushed him into consideration for the starting XI. Now, he’ll be on the mend for six to nine months, recovering from a serious injury.
Meanwhile, West Ham United said they are in contact with the medical staff at the Argentine Football Association to ascertain the full extent of the injury and will provide a further update in due course.
Everyone at West Ham United would like to send Manuel our best wishes and hopes for a speedy recovery.
