(Reuters) - West Ham United midfielder Manuel Lanzini dismissed reports that he will miss the entire 2018/19 season due to a knee injury, with the Argentina international saying he expects to return to action early next year.
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The 25-year-old was included in Argentina's squad for the World Cup finals in Russia but ruptured a ligament in his right knee during a training session, days before his nation's opening group match on June 16.
"Some English media have said that my injury will make me miss next season, that there were problems with the surgery... none of this is true," Lanzini said on his official Twitter account.
West Ham confirmed that Lanzini, who also missed the club's opening league games last season with a knee injury, underwent surgery on June 14 and will undergo rehabilitation in Spain before returning to the London outfit for further treatment.
"The surgery went really well. Although I don't want to set a date, I expect to be ready to play at the beginning of 2019. Thank you." Lanzini added.
Argentina narrowly qualified for the last 16 at the World Cup after a last-gasp win over Nigeria in their final group match on Tuesday. The 2014 runners-up will face France in the next stage on Saturday.
(Reporting by Arjun Panchadar in Bengaluru, Editing by William Maclean)