West Ham ace Manuel Lanzini believes he has become more “stable” and added more “personality” to his game ahead of his debut international call-up.
The 24-year-old is set to make his debut for Argentina when they take on arch-rivals Brazil on Friday in Australia in front of a crowd of 70,000 fans.
Playmaker Lanzini ended his Hammers season on a high note despite Slaven Bilic’s side struggling for the majority of the campaign.
Since Dimitri Payet’s departure in January, Lanzini scored five goals and supplied two assists for his team, including a Man of the Match performance against Tottenham in May.
Ahead of his debut for his home country, Lanzini singled out the areas in which he has improved in over recent months.
“I am more mature now,” Lanzini told the club’s official website. “I am more stable, which is very important. I also have more personality. I am feeling good and have confidence.
“I am sometimes playing as a right winger and sometimes in the middle – it all depends on the way we play at West Ham.”
Over the course of the season, Lanzini played in various attacking roles for his side, scoring eight goals and supplying two assists from his 39 matches.
Bilic opted to play the highly-rated attacker in behind the striker or on the left-hand side of attack during the season, with his performance during the 1-0 win against Spurs in May being his standout display.
Lanzini has only represented Argentina at the under-20’s level where he found the back of the net on two occasions from his five matches.
He is now set to link up with the likes of Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero and Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi on the international stage.