Speaking to Off The Ball, Mark Lawrenson has shared what David Moyes has told him about Jesse Lingard after the midfielder snubbed a move to West Ham.
It seemed for all the world that Lingard would be headed back to the London Stadium this summer after a wonderful loan spell in 2020/21, but he’s ended up at Nottingham Forest.
David Moyes was, obviously, a big fan of Lingard, but according to Lawrenson, he had one issue with the former Manchester United man – the fact that he loves to socialise.
Indeed, Moyes has told Lawrenson that he was concerned about Lingard’s lifestyle, especially after lockdown ended and his social options opened up.
What’s been said?
Lawrenson spoke about Lingard and Moyes.
“What was really interesting about that was that when Lingard was there in Covid he was brilliant, he was scoring goals and assists and those things, but I remember David Moyes saying to me that the only problem is that he’s a lad who likes a night out. He said to me if you think about it during Covid he couldn’t go out, so he’d stay on in training and those types of things. I’m worried that he’s gone to Forest for a year and you think does he really want to be there?” Lawrenson said.
Perfect storm
Lingard was excellent during his first spell at West Ham, but it does have to be said that it was a perfect storm for a player like this.
The England international was joining a system that suited him with a point to prove to the higher-ups at Manchester United, and on top of that, he couldn’t do anything other than focus on football due to lockdown.
However, in a post-pandemic world, Lingard can get back to normality, and as Lawrenson says, Moyes believes that this is a player who can sometimes prioritise the wrong things.
Lingard is a brilliant footballer, but keeping him focused can sometimes be an uphill battle.
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