West Ham return to action on Boxing Day, where both Manuel Lanzini and Lucas Paqueta are expected to be involved.
The South American duo have both taken part in training ahead of the trip to Arsenal on Monday 26th December, where Lanzini filmed himself mocking Paqueta inside the Rush Green dressing room.
What’s the story?
Well, the Argentina international – who was not part of the World Cup winning squad – mocked Paqueta for Brazil’s shock exit at the hands of Croatia in the quarter-finals.
Lanzini – who cost West Ham £9m – could be heard saying: “Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, where is the World Cup?”
While handing his teammate a small toy trophy, Paqueta jokingly replied: “Take your third, we have five”.
You can see footage of the moment below.
It’s good to see the pair able to have a laugh about the situation together, as it was a difficult tournament for both of them.
Lanzini was left out of the squad by Lionel Scaloni despite previously winning five caps for Argentina, and the 29-year-old will have surely been devastated to miss out even more after watching his fellow countrymen make history, albeit happy for his nation.
In regards to Paqueta, the 25-year-old failed to help Brazil win a sixth World Cup as he and his teammates crashed out to Croatia in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout.
West Ham could benefit from Lanzini & Paqueta World Cup woes
In our view, David Moyes and West Ham could actually benefit from Lanzini and Paqueta’s World Cup sadness.
The South American duo could return to club football determined to put the World Cup behind them for the aforementioned reasons, which may end up seeing an improvement in both of their performance levels.
Moyes will certainly hope for that to be the case, as the Hammers currently find themselves 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone.
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