OPINION
West Ham United midfielder Manuel Lanzini stole the show in his first start of the season against West Ham United on Saturday as he helped lead his team to a 2-0 victory.
The Argentine showed no signs of rustiness after his long term layoff as he produced a performance filled with creativity and industry, playing a big part in the Hammers’ comfortable win.
One man who won’t have been as ecstatic as everyone else about the 26-year-old’s showing, though, is his team-mate Samir Nasri, whose first team spot has likely been taking by West Ham’s prodigal son.
With Felipe Anderson seemingly a guaranteed starter and Lanzini now back in the fold, that doesn’t leave much room for another playmaker like Nasri.
It’s much more likely that Manuel Pellegrini will opt for a more hard-working player as his third attacking midfielder, as he did when selecting Robert Snodgrass on Saturday.
Nasri’s lacklustre effort against Manchester City last Wednesday will have done little to strengthen his claims for a first team spot, and after Lanzini impressed so spectacularly he’s staring down the barrel of first team exile.
Simply put, the 2019 version of Nasri isn’t as good as Lanzini. The Frenchman may have once been a better player than his team-mate will ever be, but these days it’s the diminutive Argentine who’s the safer bet for West Ham.
He proved that on Saturday – Newcastle couldn’t handle him. Nasri’s looked OK so far far in his Hammers tenure, but he’s yet to have the kind of performance for the club that Lanzini produced against the Magpies.
With that said, the future’s looking rather dim for the January signing. Lanzini is back and is showing just why he was such an important player for the club prior to his injury, and that surely leaves Nasri on the outside looking in.
