West Ham star Manuel Lanzini has admitted the dramatic A12 car crash he walked away from on Thursday was a “pretty big scare.”
The Argentine midfielder, 29, confirmed he was uninjured with a thumbs-up to fans overnight despite the chauffeur-driven Mercedes people carrier he was in flipping and landing on its side. In his first comments since the accident he said: “Hello everyone. I wanted to say thank you to you all for the messages of love and support you sent me.
“They helped me a lot because it was a pretty big scare. Thank God everything turned out okay with what the accident was.”
The footballer wrote his message in a mix of English and Spanish alongside a selfie photo he posted on his Instagram, showing him smiling despite his brush with death and raising the thumb on his tattooed left hand in the air to reassure loved ones, fans and friends he was okay.
After writing in Spanish he repeated in English: "I want to thank you for all the messages you sent me of love and support" followed by a heart emoji. Social media followers reacted immediately with one UK-based fan referencing West Ham ’s match against Everton on Sunday by saying: “Glad you’re okay Manu, big game Sunday. Hope to see you play.”
Argentinian supporters also admitted they were relieved he had survived unscathed, with several River Plate fans taking the opportunity to urge him to return to his old club. The player was being driven back to West Ham’s training ground after returning to Britain following his call-up up to the Argentina squad for World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Ecuador.
The £70,000 Mercedes people carrier he was in landed on its side when it lost control just before 1pm. Police said afterwards it had collided with a tree after leaving the west-bound carriageway of the A12 in Romford.
Lanzini was assessed at the scene before being given the all-clear without needing hospital treatment. The chauffeur is said to have been cut free from the vehicle but he was unhurt.
Dad-of-one Lanzini is expected to be available for West Ham's squad to face Everton at the weekend. He has made 193 appearances for the Premier League side since joining on loan from Al Jazira Club in July 2015 before making the move permanent, scoring 28 goals. He has played for his country five times.
