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West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has been speaking about midfielder Manuel Lanzini ahead of his side's clash against Manchester City on Wednesday night, and the signs are that the Argentine star won't be making his first start for the club since May.

What did he say?

After a long injury absence, the 26-year-old finally made his long-awaited return to action as a substitute in the 3-1 win against Fulham at the London Stadium on Friday, and no doubt Irons fans will be hoping to see their man back in the XI as soon as possible now.

Speaking prior to the perhaps daunting trip to the Etihad Stadium, Pellegrini looks to have dampened those hopes by telling whufc.com: "We must be careful with [Manu].

"He did very well in his 15 minutes and the important thing was that he was not afraid and remembering his knee, so we will see what the best way is to get minutes in every game. You must be careful when you give more minutes."

Will he definitely not start?

While West Ham will want to finish in seventh position and as the best of the rest this season, taking a risk on a player of the calibre of Lanzini away against City would be a huge risk given he has only just returned, and his manager seems to acknowledge that.

Yes, Pep Guardiola's men may have played 120 minutes in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday and could be a little leggy just a few days later, but Pellegrini can't risk potentially aggravating the injury given the South American ace isn't 100% match fit.

Irons supporters will need to be more patient in their bid to see the London Stadium hero back in the side, and they now have the squad depth for that to be an acceptable thing.