Independent Commission in Consensus That West Ham Playmaker 'Dived' in Stoke City Win

An Independent Commission has ruled that West Ham star Manuel Lanzini acted in an 'exaggerated manner' during their 3-0 victory over Stoke City last month.

The Argentine midfielder served a two-match ban for deceiving a match official last month, missing games against Arsenal and Newcastle United. Following Lanzini's appeal over the incident, it has been ruled that the 24-year-old 'dived' during West Ham's win at the bet365 Stadium.

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Lanzini was influential against the Potters, setting up all three goals to pile the pressure onto Mark Hughes. Mark Noble converted a first-half penalty to give the Hammers the advantage, with Marko Arnautovic and Diafra Sakho scoring late on to put the game to bed.

However, Lanzini was then forced to miss a couple of games through a retrospective ban despite denying he had dived during the game.

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Lanzini is one of the most coveted players in the West Hame dressing room - something that has only grown since the departure of Dimitri Payet.

The Argentine international first moved to the club in 2015 from UAE Gulf League side Al-Jazira. After a successful season on loan in the Premier League, Lanzini made the move to London permanent in a deal worth £10.8m.

Having gone on to represent the club on 89 occasions, Lanzini's tally of 16 goals and 14 assists has seen him touted by some of the biggest clubs across Europe.