West Ham have confirmed Manuel Lanzini will be out for up to six weeks with a thigh injury he suffered in training.
The Argentinian midfielder, who is on a season’s loan from UAE-based Al-Jazira, pulled out of the squad who drew 0-0 at Manchester United after suffering the injury to his quadriceps. West Ham hoped he would be available for Saturday’s home game against Stoke but the 22-year-old is facing a spell on the sidelines.
“Lanzini underwent a scan on Monday and will now begin a period of rehabilitation which is expected to keep him out of first-team action for a period of up to six weeks,” read West Ham’s statement.
Lanzini has scored four goals and provided one assist in 12 Premier League appearances this season. News of his extended absence will be a major blow to Slaven Bilic, who will be anxiously awaiting the results from a scan on Victor Moses’ hamstring on Tuesday. The Nigeria forward, who is on loan from Chelsea, is also expected to be out of action for a minimum of three weeks.
Already without Dimitri Payet, Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia, that would leave Andy Carroll, Nikica Jelavic and Mauro Zárate as Bilic’s main attacking options, while Michail Antonio, a £7m signing from Nottingham Forest in the summer, looks set for an extended run in the team.
