West Ham United manager David Moyes has heaped praise on midfielder Manuel Lanzini amid his uncertain future at the club.
Lanzini, who scored as a substitute in a 3-1 win over Leeds United on Sunday, was making his 225th appearance for the club, but it is likely to be one of his last outings in a West Ham shirt, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
The 30-year-old has been linked with a return to his native Argentina and River Plate this summer, having only started twice in the Premier League this season, one of which was on the opening weekend defeat to Manchester City.
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Moyes was full of compliments for Lanzini and what he has given West Ham during his time at the club, with Lanzini ranking joint eighth in West Ham history for most Premier League goals, tied with Jarrod Bowen on 27.
The Scot said that Lanzini’s famous goal against Tottenham Hotspur in October 2020 to earn a 3-3 draw after going 3-0 down was perhaps the key turning point for West Ham’s success, which has seen them finish sixth and seventh in the Premier League and reach the semi-final of last season’s Europa League and the final of this season’s Europa Conference League.
“Somebody asked me a similar question earlier and I said, the biggest thing about Manuel Lanzini is that we were 3-0 down against Tottenham. Lanzini scores the third goal, we come back from 3-0 down,” Moyes told football.london.
“It may have changed the whole thing here for lots of reasons, the belief, how people saw us, how big a night it was, 3-0 down at Tottenham, Lanzini scores a wonder goal as you all know to make it three each.
“Manny has just been really unfortunate this season, we’ve struggled to get him as many games as we’d like, but partly because we’ve not been playing as well, I think that’s been a big reason for that. But, to get him today (Sunday) and score was a really big thing and I’m pleased for him.
“He’s a really good lad, he’s been very loyal to me and the team at the time we’ve been here. A really good professional and I’m pleased for him.”
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