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Messi Tells Lanzini Come To Barca

nevillenixon's picture
Submitted by nevillenixon on Thu, 09/04/2020 - 11:12


To say that Manuel Lanzini, the little jewel' is a shadow of the player who went off to a pre tournament training camp hopeful of representing his country, Argentina. Mentored by none other than Lionel Messi, great things were expected of 'Manu' Lanzini, and indeed initially it seemed he would fulfill his lifetime's dream of playing alongside his hero in the World Cup.

Alas it was not to be, Argentina were high in the rankings for success on Draftkings sportsbook guide and the like, but Lanzini received a grade one cruciate ligament injury which back in the day would have been career ending, fortunately he began his initial recuperation with a specialist Doctor in Barcelona under the express wish of Messi, a move that was sanctioned by West Ham at the time, the club correctly believing that Barcelona based Doctor specialised in 're-growth' organisms to aid recovery. However, despite the best medical care the initial prognosis was not good and there were genuine fears that Manuel Lanzini might never play professional football again!

Of course Lanzini did recover, although it took the best part of a year to do so, it should be remembered that the Hammers' manager at the time, Manuel Pellegrini, had originally intended to build the entire team around 'the little jewel' ahead of his injury and was therefor keen to reintegrate the midfielder in to the team as soon as possible. So keen in fact that Lanzini was rushed back far too early and consequently suffered a string of niggling' injuries on his return, even when Pellegrini was replaced by David Moyes there was still a genuine desire to play Lanzini in order that he could return to be the stunning player he once was.

Sadly, despite being given plenty of game time, much to the chagrin of supporters who witnessed his performances, Lanzini looks like a completely different player. Lanzini's confidence is shot, and all the tricks, flicks and impressive dead ball skills he once had have escaped his locker, the power and pace of the Barclays Premier League will always 'find out' players who are not fully on their game, and it is painfully obvious watching Lanzini that he is terrified of getting hurt again.

So what can be done to ressurect Lanzini's career? He is on a relatively long contract, so attaining a decent price for him would be possible, in an ideal world he would join up with Messi at Barca. This situation is not beyond being a possibility in that Chelsea are in talks to sign Barcelona midfielder Philippe Coutinho, the 27 year old former Liverpool player is currently on loan at Bayern Munich and does not favor a return to the Camp Nou, preferring to return to England. With this in mind there could be an opening for Lanzini, obviously Messi's influence will play a part in any deal, with a move to Barcelona being a good option for all parties.

The little Jewel would have a chance to rebuild his career in an environment that would be more suited to his talent Barca would get a very decent player and West Ham would receive vital funds to strengthen the squad in areas of weakness, particularly the right and left back positions. A move could be one of those rare events in football where everyone is a winner! - ed

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