West Ham have been hit with a January injury crisis with several attacking players facing time on the sidelines. With that in mind, could the Hammers turn to former player and free agent Jesse Lingard to ease their squad problems?
West Ham Injury Crisis Update
Lucas Paqueta is set to be out for two months with a calf problem, Mohamed Kudus is expected to be away for 2-3 weeks with AFCON and Jarrod Bowen has picked up an ankle injury which could see him out for up to three weeks.
Add in Michail Antonio still nursing a knee injury, then the Hammer’s treatment table has certainly been busy.
The winter break may help ease the injury crisis but West Ham are still short on attacking talent and look certain to turn their attention to the January transfer window to help.
However, the Europa League also returns in March for West Ham so they’ll need all the squad depth they can if they want to juggle life in the Premier League with their next European push.
West Ham Transfer News Exclusive: Why Do The Hammers Want Lingard?
Under David Moyes, Lingard played exceptionally well. He joined on a loan deal in the 2020/21 season and made 16 appearances. During this spell Lingard managed 13 g/a and recaptured the form that he promised in the early years of his Manchester United career.
Lingard is also currently a free agent, so getting his signature will be that much easier. Plus with Nottingham Forest under extreme pressure of breaching Financial Fair Play rules this seems like a no-brainer transfer for the Hammers.
There are more pluses. Lingard still holds a good relationship with David Moyes and West Ham, which was backed up when he was spotted training with the club in the summer.
While Lingard’s experience will also be a handy asset for Moyes when the fixture list starts to get tight. He has played in Europe for Manchester United, while also started in the 2018 World Cup for England – winning 32 overall caps for his nation.
Jesse Lingard’s Forest Struggles
After starting strong back in his Red Devils days, Lingard couldn’t find any rhythm in the United team and after six seasons of being in the senior squad, Lingard came away with just 20 goals.
Lingard joined Nottingham Forest in hope of regular game time as his boyhood club Manchester United seemed to have abandoned him.
Then on joining Forest, former boss Steve Cooper couldn’t get the best out of Lingard either and the 31-year-old slipped out of the squad. He only managed two goals in 20 appearances for the Midlands side and as a result Forest have decided not to renew Lingard’s contract.
Lingard is now ready to start anew and Moyes’s West Ham, a club he’s already proved himself at, seems the logical destination to try and kickstart his career back into gear.
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