Manuel Lanzini has long been tipped for stardom since he made his debut for River Plate against Tigre in August 2010. The Ituzaingó-born star was the latest in a long line of supremely gifted number 10’s to roll off Los Millonarios production line, and it didn’t take long for La Joya to attract the attention of some of Europe’s big clubs. Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Newcastle, Lazio, Villareal, Roma and Besiktas were all linked to the prodigiously-talented young playmaker, but Lanzini chose to spurn European offers and join UAE Pro-League side Al Jazira in August last year.
Lanzini has since netted eight times in 20 appearances for the Abu Dhabi-based club, but will his sparkling form in a relatively unknown domestic league prompt Tata Martino to give the 22-year-old a call-up to represent the Albiceleste? Almost unquestionably the answer is no.
The former River Plate star represented the Albiceleste at under-20 level in the 2013 Sudamericano Sub-20 championships in Argentina, making four appearances in a team that also featured the likes of Luciano Vietto, Juan Manuel Iturbe and Ricardo Centurión. La Joya has long been tipped as one as of the future stars of the Albiceleste’s midfield, but it’s easy to argue that a move to the Middle East may have been a move in the wrong direction for him.
In 2011, Roberto Pereyra and Érik Lamela both left River at similar ages to Lanzini but opted for moves to Udinese and Roma. Lamela thrived in Italy and is still in contention for the national side and in 2014 Pereyra earned a move to Juventus and has gone on to represent Argentina under Gerardo Martino after impressing for the Bianconeri. Elsewhere Paulo Dybala and Luciano Vietto have been scoring goals for fun in Serie A and La Liga for Palermo and Villareal respectively. The two young strikers look destined for a national team call-up in the near future.
Had Lanzini moved to Europe straight from the Monumental, the 22-year-old would probably be beginning to fulfil his huge potential. La Joya is still young, and it remains to be seen whether or not his move to Al Jazira is only a stepping stone to greater things. With Roma reportedly looking at Lanzini once again, the young playmaker would be wise to consider a move to Europe if he is to have any hope of representing the Albiceleste in the future.
Daniel Gartner
Daniel is a 21-year-old journalism student and aspiring football journalist. He aims to live in Buenos Aires one day as a prominent football journalist, and his favourite leagues include the Argentinean Primera División, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Liga MX and the Brasileirão. Also writes for The Roar and Outside 90.
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