West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini was reportedly present at Windsor Park this evening to watch Austria beat Northern Ireland but if a former Hammer is to be believed he wasn’t there to watch his player Marko Arnautovic come on as a 71st-minute substitute.
Former Hammer Steve Lomas who was commentating for Sky Sports said “There’s talk of Manuel Pellegrini coming to the game today. He (Lainer) will certainly be one to watch – I really like the way he defends and attacks. The complete package at right back.”
The speculation comes hours after it was confirmed to Claret and Hugh that Ryan Fredericks could be out injured for three months. Added to that it appears that Pablo Zabaleta could hang up his spurs and retire from football at the end of the season.
Red Bull Salzburg full-back Stefan Lainer was a key part of the side that surprised the football world in making it to the semi-finals of the Europa League this season last season, eventually losing out to Marseille 3-2 on aggregate.
They stormed to the Austrian title with a winning margin of 14 points. The 25-year-old is known for his attacking mentality and provided 11 assists across all competitions last season.