Manuel Lanzini will undergo an assessment in Barcelona next week in order to determine the extent of his knee injury.
Lanzini was looking forward to representing Argentina in the World Cup Finals, which begin later this week, before suffering a suspected torn anterior cruciate ligament during training.But instead of pulling on the famous sky blue and white striped shirt in Russia, the 25-year-old midfielder will instead be with new Hammers Head of Medical Richard Collinge at a meeting with orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ramon Cugat in Spain in order to undergo surgery and plan a path to recovery.
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Despite having his dreams destroyed by the injury, Lanzini is remaining as optimistic as possible as he prepares to embark on a programme of rehabilitation that could take several months.
"It’s an extremely hard moment," said Lanzini. "I ask myself many questions but I know there are no answers. Still, I try to see things in a positive light, which was what my parents always told me.
"I’m receiving support from my family and my teammates and that has been extremely important because when I suffered the injury, I felt like my world had fallen apart. It was the worst feeling I've had in my life.
"I will have surgery and I’m going to be very serious in my recovery. It’s not a question of how fast I come back but of following the plan and come back as best as possible."
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Lanzini had earlier thanks fans and colleagues for their messages of support via his Instagram account. "I was so close to fulfilling my dream of playing in a World Cup and not being able to has caused more suffering and pain," he said.
"Beyond this, I am very grateful to you for having sent me so nice messages of support and affection. I also thank my family who always see the positive side.
"I also want to thank my colleagues [in the Argentina camp] who did everything possible to ease my pain. Hopefully they can achieve our goal, together for a dream.
"And I repeat to you again, THANK YOU for your support. Now I can think about a good recovery and getting better for the rest of my career ."
Lanzini has been replaced in the Argentine squad by Rover Plate's experienced midfielder, Enzo Perez.
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