West Ham’s already threadbare squad suffered another loss on Saturday afternoon and they don’t come much bigger.
Manuel Lanzini was forced off midway through the second half during the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth last weekend with a hamstring tear and the Telegraph have learned that the Argentine playmaker could miss up to a month of action as a result.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last five Premier League games and this has largely been down to the rapport struck up between Lanzini and Marko Arnautovic in attack over recent weeks.
Lanzini has been West Ham’s prime creative influence in the final third in recent weeks and after he left the game on Saturday, the team looks devoid of any ideas of confidence when pressing forward with the ball and the loss of Lanzini for the next few games will be felt hard.
With three goals and eight assists so far this season, the 24-year-old has been relied upon by Moyes to break the lines and carve out opportunities for his teammates and the Hammers lack another player who can do that job. Amid links with a move for Inter Milan’s Joao Mario, Moyes could now firm up his interest in bringing in another midfield playmaker.
