Jesse Lingard has been linked with a return to West Ham almost daily since his loan spell at the Hammers came to an end last summer.
The Manchester United player had a superb spell at the London Stadium and the Hammes have never hidden their desire to bring him back to the club. Over the summer, Lingard received assurances from then-Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that he was an important part of the Norwegian's plans and as a result opted to remain with his boyhood club.
As it turns out, Lingard has once again been a peripheral figure at Old Trafford under both Solskjaer and his replacement Ralf Rangnick. The England international has played just 272 minutes of football, only 88 of which have come in the Premier League and he has not started a league game all season. As a result, Lingard has been dropped by Gareth Southgate from the Three Lions squad and appears to be back in the same place he found himself 12 months ago, an unused and unwanted man in Manchester.
Despite his lack of football, 17 days into the transfer window Lingard remains a Manchester United player, albeit one with a contract that is expiring in just a matter of months. Lingard is free to sign a deal with clubs outside of England or he can see out the remainder of his contract and find himself as a free agent this summer.
According to former Hammer Glen Johnson, if Lingard wanted a return to the London Stadium then it would have happened by now.
"I think if Jesse Lingard really wanted the move himself then it would have happened already. If he genuinely wanted it, then it would have been done," Johnson told Bettingodds.com.
"He’s not playing at Manchester United. Everyone loved him at West Ham. So if the player wanted to do it, it doesn’t sound like a very difficult deal to do. You can only imagine that he’s trying to stay at Manchester United for whatever reason. I would guess that it’s Jesse that didn’t want to do it and go to anybody else.
"If you were Manchester United you would sell him. And if you were West Ham you would sign him. I think he would be in the West Ham starting XI. I don’t think it would be guaranteed. If he gets there and plays like he did previously he’d nail down a place but I do think they’ve got some good players in that position. I don’t think he would be a guaranteed starter but if he hits the form that he was in before then yes he will be."
West Ham have coped without Lingard admirably with David Moyes leading his team to the top four of the Premier League and the last-16 in the Europa League. However, the manager is keen to add to his squad and football.london understands that an attacking player is a priority during January.
Lingard is still on the Hammers' radar but, with their interest well known, the decision lies with the player and whether he is ready to cut ties with the club he joined as a seven-year-old.
