When Nottingham Forest announced the arrival of Jesse Lingard in July, it made plenty of people sit up and take note.
West Ham United had been hopeful of luring him back, following his release by Manchester United and on the back of a previous loan spell in the capital. But Forest pipped them to the deal, making something of a statement signing in the process.
It has been a fairly slow start for Lingard at the City Ground, however. He has not yet found top form, while the Reds have had a tough few weeks on their return to the Premier League. We take a look at how things have been going for the attacker.
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How has Lingard done so far?
It was always likely to take time for the 29-year-old to get going. He arrived Trentside needing to build up his fitness after a year with little game time. In essence, he was playing catch-up.
Even now, he’s perhaps not quite at full sharpness. He has been getting plenty of minutes under his belt, though.
He has featured in six out of Forest’s seven league games so far, being in the starting XI for all but one of those appearances - the 3-2 defeat to Fulham last time out. The only match where he didn’t get out on the pitch was against Manchester City, where he was an unused substitute.
Lingard has shown glimpses of what he can do when he has played. There have been bright moments and some nice link-up play with Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson. He chipped in with an assist of sorts against the Hammers, when his scuffed shot hit a defender and rebounded into Taiwo Awoniyi’s shin and into the net. But he hasn’t yet been able to make the impact he would have been hoping for.
However, he’s not the only one in the squad who that applies to, and Cooper does need to find the right set-up to get the best out of his attacking players. There is plenty of room for improvement in Lingard’s play, though.
According to figures on the Premier League website, his shooting accuracy is at 20 percent this term, compared to 75 percent in the 2021/22 season. The figures show he has made an average of 24.50 passes per match and has 33 percent cross accuracy.
Admittedly they come from a small sample size, but the stats illustrate how Lingard can get better. Some sloppy play has proved costly defensively, too, with giving the ball away cheaply leading to the Reds conceding against Bournemouth.
Extended time on the training pitch during the international break should be of benefit, both on an individual and collective level, while Lingard’s top-flight experience with United will be of great help throughout the campaign as Forest aim to stay up. And the hope is his influence in matches will grow as time goes on.
What has been said?
After the win over West Ham last month, boss Steve Cooper said of Lingard: "He showed really good moments. His movement and his tactical awareness, how he played in certain areas, was really pleasing. He balanced off his game between staying with the midfield players and being with the two strikers.
"He had a really positive game and the good thing is he got another 90 minutes in. There's so many of our boys that are not 100 percent fully fit.”
What has Lingard said?
Of his decision to put pen to paper at the City Ground, he explained: "There were a lot of other options. I mean, I could have gone abroad for a lot of money, but I want to stay in the Premier League.
"I spoke to the owners and they showed that love and they wanted to come to my house all in quick succession to try and get the deal done. When I see that sort of love, of course I'm going to say yes.
"But it had to be the right deal for me and my family. My daughter's had a huge part to play in that as well, so I can be local to her. The club is huge regardless, so it was an easy 'yes'."
On the experience he can bring, he has said: "It's vital. I can speak to a lot of the younger lads especially who've never played in the Premier League. It's a fast tempo, it's a fast-paced game and a lot of things can happen in 90 minutes or 95 minutes, should I say. So I can be there to guide them and speak to them as well."
On what he aims to contribute, he has said: "I feel as an attacker, you need to be scoring goals and assisting and helping the team that way. But also, we defend as a team as well, and that starts from the front, that's what the manager's reiterated.
"I feel like they're a great group of lads and we're hungry and we want to work hard to win games. I think that's the most important thing and I feel like as long as we stick through the games, some games are going to be tough where we might not see the ball for a bit. But we stick together as a unit and when we win games, we celebrate together. Regular football again for me is important - that's how you get the best out of me."
What have the pundits said?
For a while, it seemed everyone had an opinion on Lingard signing for Forest - and they wanted to voice it. His arrival prompted plenty of debate.
Graeme Souness said: “His contract has ended. He can choose what he wants to do.
“Is it because it’s still near Manchester? I hear that he has got business interests, whatever they may be. Could he commute for two hours a day, maybe slightly more with traffic? But it suited him.
“A question for you, does he get in the Man United team right now? I think he does.”
Meanwhile, former United defender Rio Ferdinand said back in August: "He’s gone and signed a one-year deal at Nottingham Forest, who will likely be relegation threatened. Jesse, I just feel West Ham was such a great fit; will he be smiling at Nottingham Forest when they don’t have the ball? They’re going to be getting beat every week."
What happens next?
Lingard’s immediate goal is to get back in the starting line-up, having been on the bench against Fulham. Cooper might have been considering bringing him back in to face Leicester City regardless, but a potential injury to Morgan Gibbs-White would almost certainly pave the way for his return.
Former striker Robert Earnshaw had said of the decision to have Lingard among the substitutes: "The interesting one is Jesse Lingard's not been playing, so that's an interesting one. He's been on the bench, so that's a weird decision.”
Longer-term, it is still up in the air what will happen with Lingard - with much likely to depend on whether the Reds preserve their Premier League status. However, after a tough start, it will be getting back to winning ways which is the priority for both club and player.
What have you made of Lingard so far? Have your say in the comments below
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