Argentina's Lanzini out of World Cup with ruptured ACL
West Ham's Manuel Lanzini has been ruled out of Argentina's World Cup campaign after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Argentina will be without Manuel Lanzini for the World Cup after the West Ham attacking midfielder suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session.
Lanzini heartache at missing World Cup
The 25-year-old had fought his way into the defeated 2014 finalists' World Cup squad since making his debut as a substitute against Brazil in June 2017, Jorge Sampoli's first game in charge.
Sampaoli has until 15:00 CEST on June 15, 24 hours before Argentina's opening game against Iceland in Moscow, to call up a replacement for the West Ham favourite. Lanzini has earned four caps to date and scored his first senior international goal in a 2-0 friendly victory over Italy.
Sampaoli originally named a 35-man provisional squad for Russia and will likely select a replacement from the 12 players he dropped for his final group.
Guido Pizarro, Enzo Perez, Diego Perotti, Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo Battaglia will be hoping to earn a route back into the tournament but it presents the latest headache for the South American giants.
Another setback for Argentina
Argentina cancelled their final warm-up clash with Israel on Saturday, meaning the only preparation they have had since a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Spain in March was a routine 4-0 victory over Haiti.
Lanzini will now face a lengthy spell on the sidelines and will miss the first few months of Manuel Pellegrini's reign at the London Stadium, leaving a huge void to fill in the Hammers' midfield ranks.
West Ham have been linked with a number of midfielders in the transfer market, including Manchester City veteran Yaya Toure, and Lanzini's injury could intensify the pursuit for signings in this area.