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West Ham: It is time for Lanzini to release himself from his own shackles

By Louis Pye

West Ham United's English midfielder Michail Antonio (L) celebrates with West Ham United's Argentinian midfielder Manuel Lanzini after scoring a goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and West Ham United at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on July 5, 2020. (Photo by Michael Regan / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / ALTERNATIVE CROP (Photo by MICHAEL REGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
West Ham United's English midfielder Michail Antonio (L) celebrates with West Ham United's Argentinian midfielder Manuel Lanzini after scoring a goal during the English Premier League football match between Newcastle United and West Ham United at St James' Park in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, north east England on July 5, 2020. (Photo by Michael Regan / POOL / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No video emulation. Social media in-match use limited to 120 images. An additional 40 images may be used in extra time. No use in betting publications, games or single club/league/player publications. / ALTERNATIVE CROP (Photo by MICHAEL REGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /
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It’s been a long time since West Ham fans have seen the Manuel Lanzini who once danced and dazzled in a claret and blue shirt, but as his career continues to slide, does he simply need to release his own shackles to get back on track?

A lot of leniencies was granted to the Argentinian when he first returned from his Cruciate Ligament Rupture which ruled him out of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and for a grand total of 256 days.

A significant amount of time has passed since then, however, and fans have begun to get impatient with his performances which failed to see him score a single goal throughout the entirety of last season.

He was understandably physically stifled by his long-term injury as he has lacked sharpness ever since his return, but the bigger issue at hand may be the mental aspects to recovery, where he has simply lost his confidence to perform at the level in which Hammers fans crowned him “The Jewel”.

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Lanzini was known for his ability to drive forward with the ball which in turn created space for the rest of the team, something West Ham has lacked ever since his downward trajectory. Those penetrative runs often had the end product to match, whether that came in the form of a goal or an assist, highlighted by his stats pre-injury to post-injury.

The 27-year-old played against Wycombe in today’s pre-season friendly and displayed those exact kind of attacking displays throughout the match. He scored the third goal in a 5-1 victory, whilst causing the Wycombe defence constant problems with his bursts forward and direct link-up with teammates.

Of course, a pre-season fixture against a newly-promoted Championship side isn’t a significant indicator as to whether anyone can expect these kinds of performances from him on a consistent basis as we head into the new season, but it is a start and is certainly a promising sign.

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Lanzini has, in the past, showcased that he possesses the ability to hurt any defence in the Premier League. He now needs to believe in his own talent and release the shackles that have been weighing him down for the last two years. If he can turn over a new leaf and prove to his doubters that he is not finished in east London, he will no doubt be akin to a new signing for the club. And a fabulous one at that.