Injury rules Argentina’s Manuel Lanzini out of World Cup


Argentina will be without Manuel Lanzini for the World Cup after the West Ham attacking midfielder suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session.

The 25-year-old had fought his way into the defeated 2014 finalists’ World Cup squad since making his debut as a substitute against Brazil in June 2017, Jorge Sampoli’s first game in charge.

Sampaoli has until 14:00 BST on June 15, 24 hours before Argentina’s opening game against Iceland in Moscow, to call up a replacement for the West Ham favourite.

Lanzini has earned four caps to date and scored his first senior international goal in a 2-0 friendly victory over Italy.

Sampaoli originally named a 35-man provisional squad for Russia and will likely select a replacement from the 12 players he dropped for his final group.

Guido Pizarro, Enzo Perez, Diego Perotti, Leandro Paredes and Rodrigo Battaglia will be hoping to earn a route back into the tournament but it presents the latest headache for the South American giants.

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