OPINION
West Ham United’s summer just got a whole lot worse with the news that Manuel Lanzini has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in training with Argentina.
The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has seen his World Cup dream snatched from him at the last minute after suffering the injury, with the Hammers ace now set to return to London for treatment.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the severity of the problem will likely see Lanzini miss the opening few games of the 2018/19 season for the Irons.
And, looking at the situation in more detail, the likelihood is that Lanzini will miss more than just a few games for the Hammers at the start of next term.
As reported by the Guardian, the average recovery time from a serious ACL injury is around nine months, with Lanzini possibly able to return around the six-month mark depending on recovery.
That would put the Argentine out until December at least, and mean that West Ham will be without one of their most dangerous attacking outlets for a huge chunk of the season.
This situation will inevitably lead Manuel Pellegrini to assess the market for a player to bring in to fill in, and there is one clear candidate for that role: Joao Mario.
The Inter Milan playmaker knows the club well from his loan spell this season and would be the perfect player to come in and make a quick impact in Lanzini’s place.
The Portugal international has already made it quite clear that he has no intention of remaining in Italy this summer, and he has also spoken of his love for the club after his short spell at the London Stadium.
As previously reported by the Evening Standard, Inter are searching for around £26million for the 25-year-old, and that is an affordable deal for the Hammers at the moment.
It is a no-brainer amid Lanzini’s injury problems and one that West Ham must move to complete quickly.
