Argentina forward Manuel Lanzini’s World Cup dreams are over following an injury he suffered while training with the national team. Lanzini ruptured his cruciate knee ligament and is expected to be out for at least six months.
His injury has been confirmed by the Argentine national team’s official Twitter account. Lanzini plays for West Ham United and will also miss the start of 2018/19 Premier League season.
The Argentina National team tweeted, “Manuel Lanzini suffered, in today’s morning training, the rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee”.
[PARTE MÉDICO] Manuel Lanzini sufrió, en el entrenamiento matutino de hoy, la rotura del ligamento cruzado anterior de su rodilla derecha. pic.twitter.com/lmYEVr5YaV
— Selección Argentina (@Argentina) June 8, 2018
Inter Milan captain and striker Mauro Icardi is expected to be called up as Lanzini’s replacement. Icardi topped the Serie A goalscoring charts for 2017/18 season scoring 29 goals in 34 appearances.
Icardi’s initial exclusion from the squad has surprised many people as he led Inter from the front and helped them secure a Champions League berth for next season.
Argentina will play their opening fixture against Iceland on June 16. Lanzini’s presence in the squad will be missed but Icardi is more than capable of successfully replacing him. All eyes will now be on Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli to see who will be replacing Lanzini in the squad.