A high-profile name whose Nottingham Forest arrival came with an all-singing, all-dancing announcement video meant there was always going to be much expectation around Jesse Lingard.
No sooner had he plumped for a move to the City Ground, with the Reds beating West Ham United to his signature, then every pundit going chimed in with their opinion. Not all of them particularly complimentary.
In recent weeks, however, much of that outside noise has stopped. After a slow start to life Trentside, prior to the World Cup break Lingard had really started to show what he is all about.
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Even in the space of a few months, since putting pen to paper at the end of July, it has been something of a rollercoaster for the 29-year-old. But there is the promise of plenty more to come.
Season so far
In the early weeks of the campaign, games seemed to pass Lingard by. It wasn’t necessarily that he was playing poorly, more that he was just struggling to make an impact. He found himself in and out of the XI as a result.
A lack of competitive minutes in 2021/22 and not having a proper pre-season was taking its toll. The former Manchester United man needed time to build up both his fitness and his sharpness.
The low point came during Forest’s 5-0 defeat at Arsenal, when Lingard was hooked with less than an hour played. He was subjected to a barrage of stick from the home fans as he trudged off.
In the space of a week, however, his situation had been flipped on its head. He completely turned things around.
Having reached the end of October without registering either a goal or an assist in the Garibaldi, the new month began with both being ticked off the list. By some distance, Lingard put in his best performances for the club against Tottenham Hotspur, in the Carabao Cup, and Crystal Palace in the league.
Finding the net will have done the attacker’s confidence the world of good. It was just the boost he needed.
He has set the standard now. It was always clear what he was capable of - he’d shown it plenty of times in the past - and now Lingard has shown how influential he can be for Steve Cooper’s side.
World Cup break
Having taken his chance to shine before the Premier League paused, Lingard will be aiming to pick up from where he left off once the action resumes. Something which also applies to Forest as a whole. The goal has to be to make sure the six-week hiatus doesn’t disrupt any momentum - either individually or collectively.
"It's massive to get the goal. It's been a long time coming,” Lingard told NottinghamshireLive after scoring against Spurs.
"I've not hit the heights that I wanted to as soon as I came here, but I've worked hard behind the scenes. Hard work gets you places.
“It's just the start. It can be hard coming into a new team to gel. It's taken this long to finally settle in.”
The Reds’ extensive summer overhaul made for a challenge all round. Cooper himself has been open in discussing that.
Time on the training pitch and the opportunity for the squad to bond while they are on a training camp in Greece should help. And Lingard had posted pictures of himself keeping his fitness ticking over before the players reunited, to ensure he can hit the ground running later this month.
What’s been said?
Cooper has always been convinced Forest would eventually start to see the best of the summer signing. And there has never been any question mark over the player’s application when it comes to putting in the work, or his attitude, for that matter. He has always been well liked in the dressing room, too.
The head coach had said prior to the 2-2 draw with Brentford: “I understand around Jesse, because of where he’s played his football before and having been on the international stage there will always be a bit of extra interest. But we don’t think like that; we treat him the same as everyone else.
“What I do know is Jesse is working really hard on the training ground. He is a very positive influence around the place in a professional way, and, like everyone else, we are all aiming to improve in order to improve our situation.
“I am not one for treating anyone any different. We want to treat everyone the same, because that’s what is needed if we’re going to be as together as we need to be.”
Selection dilemma
Lingard’s form before the break does leave Cooper with a selection dilemma, however. Finding a system which suits the attacking options in his ranks has not been easy.
It had seemed as though Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White were competing for the same spot in the team, having both stood out individually in separate games. They both started, along with Brennan Johnson, against Crystal Palace, though. That raised eyebrows when the line-up was named, but it was a decision which paid off.
Fitting the trio into the XI did mean Forest were without a recognised striker on the pitch. And whether they can play that way all the time - particularly away from home - is a different matter.
Who gets the nod for the first league game back, at Manchester United, is a tough one to call. Lingard has certainly put himself in the mix, and he can have a big part to play in the remainder of the season.
What have you made of Lingard's season so far? Have your say in the comments below
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