West Ham United attacker Andriy Yarmolenko is just coming back from a long-term injury.
Yarmolenko missed a sizeable chunk of last season with injury, but he has made his come back for West Ham now.
The Ukrainian international got on the scoresheet in West Ham’s last competitive match a fortnight ago, as they beat Norwich City.
But Pellegrini admits that Yarmolenko still has work to do, as he attempts to get back to full health.
“Yarmolenko is a different player [to Lanzini] and he’s maybe a step below Manu Lanzini [in terms of his match-fitness], because Manu played the last eight or nine games of last season and Andriy started only a few weeks ago,” Pellegrini said.
“I am sure, the same as Manu, the more games he plays in a row, he will continue to improve his performance because he is a technical player who makes a lot of impact near the opposition box.”
Lanzini actually missed a chunk of last season with injury too, but he has started the season well.
The Argentine playmaker has looked very sharp, playing behind what is proving to be a very dangerous West Ham attack.
The Hammers have a real opportunity to make their strong start an excellent one if they are able to beat Aston Villa tonight.
Pellegrini’s men will climb up to third place in the Premier League table with three points, which would be very impressive – even at this early stage of the campaign.
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