West Ham can’t put a date on Lanzini’s return

WEST HAM say it is too early to say how long Manuel Lanzini’s knee injury will keep him out amid fears the midfielder could miss the whole of next season.

Reports today suggested Lanzini could be sidelined for 15 months — but West Ham’s medical department have not put a timescale on his recovery.

The 25-year-old has begun his rehabilitation after surgery to repair his injured right knee last week.

The midfielder ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament while training with Argentina on the eve of the World Cup.

He has various stages of rehabilitation to go through and how he progresses will determine when he is ready to return.

He is in Barcelona for the first stage of that process and is due to return to London next month to continue his recovery.

Though West Ham have not given him a return date, he is set for an extended spell out of action and his injury is a blow for new manager Manuel Pellegrini, as Lanzini has become a key player for the club since he arrived in 2016.

West Ham’s head of medical services, Richard Collinge, said after Lanzini had surgery: “There are lots of milestones which we need to reach along the way to getting Manu back on the pitch, but rest assured we will be pulling out all the stops to get him out there as soon as possible.”