West Ham have held talks with the agent of Manchester United’s forgotten man Jesse Lingard as David Moyes looks to offer the England international a fresh start away from Old Trafford, as reported by the Star.
Chris Wilder is as honest as they come and, deep down, the Sheffield United boss will know that his chances of luring Lingard to Bramall Lane this month look decidedly slim.
With two points accrued from 17 games, the Blades have made the worst start to a season in English top-flight history – and we don’t just mean the Premier League era.
Given that relegation feels more like a case of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’, it is hard to imagine Lingard putting pen to paper with a Sheffield United side who slipped 12 points adrift of safety after Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace.
Especially with a high-flying West Ham side also showing an interest.
The Star reports that the Hammers held talks with Lingard’s agent during the festive period.
Title-chasing Manchester United are expected to trigger the 12-month extension in the 28-year-old’s contract, with his current deal due to expire in July.
But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will not stand in Lingard’s way if a January exit becomes a realistic possibility, given that the academy graduate has played just 99 minutes of football all season.
Lingard, who earns £75,000-a-week, worked with David Moyes briefly in the 2013/14 season, and it is not hard to imagine the hard-working schemer recapturing his form alongside Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek at the London Stadium.
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