Paul Merson told Sky Sports that David Moyes may have just unearthed a ‘diamond’ in Jesse Lingard for West Ham.
That much-needed striker didn’t arrive in January for West Ham, but they did secure the services of Lingard from Manchester United on-loan.
He is set to make his debut for the European-chasing London outfit tonight, as they take on another high-flying team in Aston Villa.
But Merson has been impressed with the Lingard capture and thinks others will be ‘scratching their head’ and questioning why they didn’t sign the England international if he thrives at the London Stadium.
“I do like the Lingard signing at West Ham,” said Merson. “I watched them [against Liverpool] and they looked a bit lost. I feel they just needed that burst.
“He has played for the biggest club in the world so if he can rediscover his form, I feel he could be the one where other teams are scratching their head thinking, ‘why didn’t we sign Lingard?’
“Lingard’s still a good player and has been training well at United. West Ham could have a diamond there.”
It will be highly unlikely that Moyes will throw Lingard straight into the Premier League mixer tonight because of his lack of game time.
Even though the Hammers came up against the Premier League champions on Sunday, it was a pretty disappointing display from the team.
But this is a great chance to bounce back against a very dangerous outfit, who have been scoring goals for fun this season, as well as securing 10 clean sheets.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
