Jesse Lingard has thanked David Moyes and the West Ham squad in a post for The Players’ Tribune for making him an upgrade of the midfielder they loaned from Manchester United.
The England international spent the latter half of last season at the London Stadium from the Red Devils. Moyes sought to sign Lingard to bolster West Ham’s creativity, in a deal that worked a treat for the Hammers.
Lingard scored nine and assisted five goals in 16 games with West Ham, despite not playing any Premier League football for Manchester United last season before leaving Old Trafford in January. While also playing just 179-minutes in cup games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Lingard had never scored more in a single Premier League season than he recorded at West Ham. The 28-year-old also only offered more assists once, when he created six in 33 games for Manchester United in 2017/18.
Moyes wanted to retain Lingard following his loan from Manchester United, but he wanted to resurrect his Old Trafford career. The 32-cap Three Lions maestro is grateful for his time in east London, however, as he feels Moyes and the Irons made him a better player.
“I wasn’t overachieving,” he wrote. “What you saw at West Ham was the player I can be when everything is coming together. Let’s say it was an upgraded version of the old Jesse Lingard. Jesse 2.0.
“When I came back to United, I felt like a different person. I’m more mature, more confident. I’m taking more responsibility. To be fair, I’ve got to credit Moyes and the West Ham lads for that. Cheers for everything, boys.”
Should West Ham re-explore Lingard interest in January?
Unfortunately for Lingard, while he feels his West Ham spell made him a better player, it has not returned many more opportunities at Manchester United under Solskjaer. The Red Devils product has only played 45-minutes in the top-flight so far this season.
But despite neither of his three appearances eclipsing 25-minutes and not featuring in their last two games, he’s scored twice. Lingard’s most recent strike also coming at the London Stadium against the Irons to seal the win from the bench.
If his struggles persist, West Ham could have a chance to re-explore their interest in buying Lingard from Manchester United. The Sun report the Red Devils want to sell him for £15m in January if he keeps refusing new contracts. The midfielder’s current deal will expire next June, but he snubbed a £135k-a-week package over assurances on his game time.
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