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West Ham's Manuel Lanzini withdraws from Argentina squad with knee injury

West Ham playmaker Manuel Lanzini has withdrawn from Argentina's squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers because of a knee injury.

Lanzini made his first league appearance with the club in Saturday's 3-0 loss to Newcastle after picking up the ailment during the preseason.

He had been held out of the Hammers' opening two fixtures as he recovered.

The 24-year-old has been capped only twice for his country, but was set to play a role in upcoming qualifiers against rivals Uruguay and Venezuela on Aug. 31 and Sept. 5, respectively.

An under-20 international, Lanzini made his Argentina debut in a friendly against Brazil in Australia back in June.

Argentina currently sit fifth in the CONMEBOL table, two points clear of Ecuador for the group's playoff berth.