West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini has really come into his own following the departure of Dimitri Payet.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Hammers boss Slaven Bilic sat down for an interview with the club’s official website, hailing the recent performances of Manuel Lanzini, whilst admitting that they made a mistake by rushing him back to action earlier on this season after he suffered a serious knee injury.
West Ham continued their impressive run of form on Saturday, and ended up leaving Vicarage Road with a hard-earned point, although they fully deserved all three.
Bilic’s men now sit in ninth position in the Premier League table, albeit a distant seven points adrift of eighth placed West Bromwich Albion.
And a major driving force behind their resurgence has been Manuel Lanzini’s exceptional form, especially since Dimitri Payet left the club last month.
Bilic heaped praised upon the Argentine, when speaking to WHUFC.com, and shared how he was probably brought back to action too soon after his recovery from injury earlier on in the campaign:
“Lanzini is a very young player, and is a top class player. He likes to take the responsibility. He missed the whole pre-season with us, and came back a little bit too soon. We pushed him in because we needed him, but now he is playing fantastically.”
West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini in action
Luckily for the Croatian, Lanzini has not suffered any long term effects, and now appears to be playing some of the best football of his career.
The 23-year-old has made 58 appearances for the Hammers during his short spell with the club, and is quickly becoming a fan favourite.
And if the East London outfit are to force themselves into contention for the final Europa League spot, the mercurial playmaker will have to be at his very best for the remainder of the campaign.
West Ham United’s Manuel Lanzini celebrates
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