McAvennie Exclusive: West Ham must have players like Lanzini at the club
We’re delighted to welcome former West Ham United striker Frank McAvennie as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium…
Frank McAvennie believes Manuel Lanzini could have a future at West Ham despite the Argentinean playmaker struggling to feature for the club this season.
Lanzini, 27, has failed to start a single Premier League match for the Irons this term and was left completely out of the squad for the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea on Monday.
However, it seems the attacking midfielder missed that game due to a hamstring injury after revealing his setback during a live stream where he was playing a video game.
Lanzini still has another three-and-a-half-years left on his contract at the London Stadium and McAvennie is happy to see the 27-year-old stay at the club.
However, the same cannot be said about Felipe Anderson, who’s currently on loan at Porto.
“I think you need players like him but you can’t have too many of them,” McAvennie told West Ham Zone.
“Lanzini and Anderson, you can’t have two of them. I don’t think there’s any way back for Anderson because he’s out on loan from the club.
“But Lanzini is a creative kind of player. He’s the kind of player who plays in a number 10 position but even with his great footwork, there’s not a lot he can do when there’s someone up front who’s not moving.
“Lanzini is a right little player. The club has got to have someone like that, he’s got great feet and great vision.”
Lanzini has found it tough to break into David Moyes’ starting line-up this season due to how well the team has played with the manager choosing a consistent side.
Of course, the consistency has fallen away a bit in recent weeks due to injuries and the congested fixture schedule but Lanzini still has competition with Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma to get into the side.
Benrahma is a new signing at the club and Fornals has done little to suggest he should be dropped this term with two goals and two assists in 14 Premier League appearances.
Lanzini did score that stunning last-minute equaliser against Tottenham in October and you would have thought that would improve his chances of getting a start.
But the form of other players has stopped him and the Argentina international’s other appearances off the bench have failed to produce anything near as spectacular.
Lanzini will get his chance once he’s back from injury but he needs to seize every opportunity that goes his way.
In other West Ham news, Tony Cottee has hailed Lanzini as the “best footballer” in the Hammers squad.