• Michail Antonio came on as Pérez had not warmed up
• Pellegrini denies West Ham owners put him under pressure
Manuel Pellegrini said Lucas Pérez was left on the bench during West Ham United’s win at Everton as he was not ready to replace the injured Marko Arnautovic.
Pérez was clearly unhappy at the decision of the West Ham manager, who celebrated his 65th birthday at Goodison Park with a crucial first win of the Premier League season. The summer signing from Arsenal was Pellegrini’s preferred choice to replace Arnautovic when he sustained a knee injury shortly after scoring West Ham’s third goal but, as he had not warmed up, Michail Antonio was sent on instead.
Written by Andy Hunter at Goodison Park
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/sep/16/lucas-perez-not-ready-west-ham-manuel-pellegrini under the title “Substitute Lucas Pérez was not ready, says West Ham’s Manuel Pellegrini”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
