Hammers ace KO blow

LANZINI AGONY

WEST HAM star Manuel Lanzini will miss the World Cup and the start of next season after suffering a serious knee injury.

The Argentina striker ruptured an anterior knee ligament in training.

Lanzini was named in manager Jorge Sampaoli’s 23-man squad last month but will now miss the finals and have surgery.

It’s a massive blow for the 25-year-old, who had just broken into the national team, and a huge one for the Hammers.

He has been directly involved in 29 Premier League goals since his debut in August 2015, more than any other West Ham player.

Chasing

But he could be out for anything up to 12 months, putting even more pressure on the club to bring in reinforcements.

The Hammers have signed Fulham full-back Ryan Fredericks on a free transfer but new boss Manuel Pellegrini is pushing for more.

The club will now step up efforts to land £30m-rated Barcelona midfielder Rafinha and Lazio forward Felipe Anderson.

Rafinha favours a move to Inter Milan but they will not pay the £39m asking price.

That has left the door open for West Ham, who are also chasing Anderson and hope to knock his price down to around £30m.

The Hammers have had bids for Swansea’s Alfie Mawson and Lukasz Fabianski knocked back but are set to return for both players.

Lanzini’s injury means it is unlikely that Manchester United target Marko Arnautovic will be allowed to leave the London Stadium.