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Sam Inkersole

The starting lineup changes Pellegrini might make when West Ham face Leicester City

Manuel Lanzini is set for a scan on his injured groin to determine his status for the rest of the season after he was forced off during the second half of West Ham's 2-1 defeat at Manchester United last Saturday.

The Argentine midfielder played a pass midway through the second half and immediately clutched his leg in aftermath. He went off for treatment and came back on to the pitch but a few moments later was back down on the turf and was taken off, replaced by Grady Diangana.

Lanzini has been a regular in Manuel Pellegrini's starting lineup since returning from a long-term knee injury that ruled him out for the first seven months of the season, making his comeback in February. He looks almost certain to miss the game against Leicester City this weekend at the London Stadium but there are hopes he might not be out for too long.

Pellegrini will likely be forced into a change there so he will be very hopeful that Samir Nasri has recovered sufficiently from his third calf injury in the last four months to take Lanzini's place as the Frenchman is the natural replacement for the Argentina international. Nasri has featured just six times since signing a short-term contract with the club in January.

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Robert Snodgrass could also fill Lanzini's role if Pellegrini decides to push him a bit further forward, rather than patrolling the middle of the park. That will mean another midfielder has to come in though and Pedro Obiang could well be a candidate to fill that role.

An injured Manuel Lanzini leaves the pitch at Old Trafford (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Elsewhere, Aaron Cresswell missed the Man Utd defeat with a minor knee issue and will be pushing for a return after returning to training this week. However, Arthur Masuaku performed superbly in the left back's absence at Old Trafford and it would be extremely harsh on the DR Congo defender if he didn't keep his place against the Foxes.

At right back, Pablo Zabaleta is just a few starts away from triggering his automatic one-year contract extension in the capital as he made his 24th Premier League appearance of the campaign against United. Ryan Fredericks replaced him late on, conceding the penalty that led to United's winner, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him start this weekend despite that as Pellegrini likes to rotate the duo when they are both fit.

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Marko Arnautovic also missed the game at Old Trafford after picking up a virus in the week which meant he only trained on the Friday before the game and wasn't considered for selection. He will be pushing for a recall this week, especially after Javier Hernandez had a fairly ineffective display against his former side on Saturday.

Michail Antonio of West Ham holds off Fred of Manchester United (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Michail Antonio came off the bench at Old Trafford and is pushing for a start after recovering from a small ankle issue which caused him to miss the defeat to Chelsea last week. Antonio had a big impact, smashing the crossbar with a fierce effort and saw David De Gea produce a world-class save to claw away his goalbound header in the second half.

He'll be keen to get a start  but it's tough to see where he could come in. Antonio could potentially replace Lanzini with Snodgrass going firther forward and Antonio on the flank with Felipe Anderson and whoever the central striker will be.

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