Prior to Wednesday night, questions had begun to be asked about Jesse Lingard and his performances for Nottingham Forest.
But after an impressive Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur, a new one emerged. For some, at least.
It might have looked as though the former Manchester United man was simply doing a little jig when he celebrated heading past Fraser Forster for his first goal in the Garibaldi. But there was actually more to it than that.
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Cue plenty asking, ‘what is the Griddy dance?’. For anyone still wondering, the internet tells us it originated across the Atlantic and involves “a person alternatingly tapping their heels, either in place or while walking, while swinging their arms back and forth; finally, they bring their hands to their eyes”.
Lingard had shown all the right moves during the game, too. By a country mile, it was his best performance since his switch to the City Ground in the summer.
Not only did he get on the scoresheet, he set up Renan Lodi for the opener with a determined lunge to win the ball, and he had been a threat throughout. He could have had another goal, too.
That was the Jesse Lingard Forest hoped they had signed when they beat West Ham United to his signature in the transfer window. That’s the Jesse Lingard who can influence games and be a key player for Steve Cooper’s side in their survival fight.
It has taken Lingard time to build up his fitness and his sharpness. Having barely played last season, that was always going to be the case.
Up until the midweek tie, he had been struggling to make an impact. He had been far too quiet in games. By his own admission, he had not made the start to life Trentside he had been hoping for.
Given he arrived on a free transfer - albeit on considerable wages - it was a fairly low-risk gamble on the club's part to bring him in, but something of a gamble nonetheless. That performance showed why it was one worth taking, though. Keep playing like that and Lingard can be a big asset in the second half of the campaign.
He still faces a fight to get in the team. In the last two games, Cooper has found an attacking system which works - but it seems difficult to find a way of including both Lingard and Morgan Gibbs-White in it. They have both shone in that no.10/false 9 role - Gibbs-White doing so against Brentford, before his teammate followed suit in midweek.
It is a nice problem for Cooper to have, though. The Welshman has always maintained he has been pleased with Lingard’s work and application during training.
The 29-year-old is well liked among the squad, too. You only had to look at how they all joined in the goal celebrations, with Brennan Johnson sprinting along the touchline from near the dugout to congratulate his teammate.
Lingard has also shown he cares about the club. He could barely keep still in the final minutes of the recent 1-0 win over Liverpool as he watched on after being brought off.
There is more to come. But Wednesday night showed Forest, and Cooper, can get the best out of him.
What have you made of Lingard so far? Have your say in the comments below
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