Former Nottingham Forest midfielder Jermaine Jenas has urged Jesse Lingard to show what else he can bring to the table after a sub-par season.
Jenas believes Lingard has "not delivered" for Forest since signing a big-money one-year contract last summer. The stats back that up, with no goals or assists for Lingard in 16 Premier League appearances this season.
There is plenty more left to come from Lingard though, says Jenas. He has also called on the "brilliant" Morgan Gibbs-White to open the floodgates with a goal to help steer Forest clear of relegation.
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“( Steve Cooper ) has basically had to manage a brand new team to the one that got promoted, which is madness when you think about it,” Jenas told the Mirror.
“You can build a rhythm, have a connection with a group of players and then you look at it now and see Brennan Johnson, Joe Worrall in and out at centre half and Ryan Yates in midfield. They are the only three players he can rely on in knowing how they will respond. To do what he has is a remarkable job.
“With regards to their survival, Morgan Gibbs-White has been their best player but he’s struggling for goals quite heavily.
“And they spent all that money on Jesse Lingard and he’s not delivered. I’m not having a go at Morgan because he has been brilliant but to stay in this league they have a big couple of months coming up. Jesse has more to bring to the table, once Morgan gets a goal he’ll crack on. If they can do that then they’ll have no problem staying in the league.
“If they don’t chip in and it all gets left to Brennan Johnson or Chris Wood, who hasn’t really been performing yet, it’s going to be very tight. Everton are improving, Southampton and Bournemouth can get three points in one week. It’ll be so tight but the goals are vital.”
Do you agree with Jermaine? Let us know in the comments.
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