Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag believes that Jesse Lingard will get a good reception from the home crowd when Nottingham Forest visit Old Trafford tonight (Tuesday).
Steve Cooper takes his side up to Manchester for their first Premier League outing in six weeks, due to the World Cup in Qatar. Forest will be looking to continue their good run of form after coming out as 1-0 winners over Crystal Palace in their last league outing.
Forest have also had success in the Carabao Cup since that game, beating Championship side Blackburn Rovers 3-1. It was a game that saw Lingard score for the second time since completing a move to the City Ground.
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He signed for the club as a free agent after leaving United at the end of his contract. It brought to an end an association with the club that went back to Lingard’s childhood, having come through the youth ranks at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old played a total of 232 times for Man United, scoring 35 goals and providing a further 21 assists. Tonight will be the first time that he has come up against his former club.
The reception he will get from the Old Trafford faithful is still to be seen. But Ten Hag has predicted that it will be a positive reaction.
''I think the Manchester United fans always show respect for the opponent so definitely when a former player is coming in, they will show that respect,” he said in his pre-match Q&A. “They will value the things he did, the good things he did for Manchester United, but from minute one it’s about winning this duel. So, we will go into the fight, and I expect fans of Manchester United will support our team.''
Forest go into the game knowing that a win would lift them out of the Premier League relegation zone. The Reds currently sit in 19th place in the table, one point above bottom of the table Southampton.
Do you think Lingard will get a good reception at Old Trafford? Tell us in the comments section
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