West Ham boss David Moyes refused to discuss links with Jesse Lingard on Friday, but stopped short of denying interest in the Man United attacker [Whufc.com].
Lingard, of course, spent an extremely successful few months on loan at the London Stadium during the second half of last season.
He scored nine goals and notched five assists in 16 appearances, firing the Hammers to a sixth-place finish and earning an England recall.
The 29-year-old has played less than 300 minutes of first-team football since returning to Old Trafford in the summer, though, and he’s been linked with an exit this month.
Unsurprisingly, even though he scored a winner against them in September, the Hammers are one of the clubs credited with interest in his services [Express].
Yet, when asked about the links on Friday afternoon, Moyes refused to talk about anything other than Lingard’s contribution last season, out of respect for his current club.
“I wouldn’t talk about players at other clubs because it’s wrong to do so,” he said [Whufc.com].
“Jesse is a Manchester United player and it’s not for me to talk about him. We really appreciate everything he did for us last year.”
Some West Ham fans would have been hoping for confirmation that their club is doing everything they can to bring Lingard back.
However, although Moyes opted against going down that route, he certainly didn’t rule out a move.
While football sequels rarely tend to quite live up the originals, it would be a major surprise if he wasn’t exploring the possibility of re-signing Lingard, given how much he contributed last season.
It’s been reported that the Hammers may have to pay something in the region of £10m to bring him in on a permanent deal this month [Express], which is a big fee for a player with just six months left on his contract.
But if Lingard brings the X-factor that helps them to defy the odds and secure a top four finish, it would certainly be a worthwhile investment.
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