West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that Manuel Lanzini could face Fulham this week.
The Argentine has been sidelined with a knee injury since the start of the World Cup in summer and the fans will be delighted with his return to action.
Lanzini was West Ham’s best player before his injury and his return will provide the Hammers with a much needed boost. West Ham have been quite inconsistent this season and Lanzini could help take them to the next level.
Pellegrini was full of praise for the technically gifted playmaker during his pre-match presser and he claimed that a player like Lanzini could make a difference for every manager and not just him.
He said: “He is a player who gives you different things, he is very technical player, he is a fast player. If you review the last part of the last season at West Ham, Marko Arnautovic had a good performance but most of the goals also involved Manu Lanzini making good assists and good plays.”
Pellegrini added: “[He is the perfect player for us] not only in the way I like to play football. I think Manuel Lanzini for every manager would be a player that makes a difference. [He adds a new attacking dimension] of course, for me as a manager the more options you have the better you can play than if you don’t have options.”
Along with the Argentine, the likes of Wilshere, Yarmolenko and Nasri have returned to training as well.
It will be interesting to see how Lanzini is introduced back into action this week. He needs to be managed carefully and starting him against Fulham would be a risk.
The player needs to be eased in and he is better off coming on as a substitute.
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