Manuel Lanzini return imminent according to Adrian

Manuel Lanzini could be ready to re-join West Ham for the trip to Anfield according to Adrian. The Hammers are currently enjoying a week off before next Saturday’s league clash with Liverpool.

Lanzini hasn’t played since suffering a bad hamstring injury in January’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. He’d improved on a slow start to the season coming alive in January, most notably with his man of the match performances against Huddersfield Town and Stoke City.

David Moyes has been using this down-time to prepare the squad for a game with one of the most potent attacks in Europe. The Reds demolished Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday and laid the 4-1 defeat on West Ham at London Stadium that doomed Slaven Bilic.

Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images

Adrian dropped a hint on Lanzini’s status in a quote picked up by the London Evening Standard, saying:

“Marko [Arnautovic] is a great player, everyone knows that, and you absolutely miss this kind of player [when he is out injured] and you have to adapt and work in a different way, but now we have Marko back and Manu is ready to come to the team,” the goalkeeper told the club’s website.

“We hope all the injured players will come back as soon as possible and we can work all together until the end.

“Chicharito is a top striker. I’ve got a great relationship with him and he deserves his goals because he is a hard worker. I’m really happy for him and for the team.”

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Despite Lanzini missing 9 league games this season, he remains joint-top of the team’s assist leaderboard - he and Aaron Cresswell both have 5. Along with Arnautovic, Lanzini is the creative force of the midfield, driving the team forward. With over a week to recover for Liverpool, the Hammer’s chances significantly improve with Lanzini on the field.

Jack Kavanagh also writes for Culture Hash a blog with zesty posts on popular culture and music