Nottingham Forest head coach Steve Cooper says the longer he can continue to work with Jesse Lingard, “the better” - but any talk about the player's future is on the backburner.
Lingard signed a one-year deal when he joined the Reds as a free agent in the summer after leaving Manchester United. It took a little while for him to find form, but he had really started to make his mark before a hamstring injury stopped him in his tracks last month.
He remains a big presence while out of action, though. The attacker has been an animated figure on the sidelines when watching his teammates at the City Ground, and he was at the heart of the celebrations following victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City.
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As a guest on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Lingard has opened up about his life off the pitch and his mental health battles, as well as discussing his move to Forest. He speaks warmly about his relationship with Cooper and how the Reds “showing him love” helped sway his transfer decision in their favour in the summer, amid competition from West Ham United.
Cooper takes great delight in the 30-year-old feeling at home Trentside. And he says the focus is on getting him back out on the pitch, not thinking about his contract situation
Asked whether he got the impression Lingard would like to stay at the club long-term, Cooper said: "My honest answer is, I don't know.
"We're really proud of him that he can talk openly about some of the challenges he's gone through. It's not easy to do that, so that needs recognising.
"With regards to his situation here, he is very much part of what we're doing, on and off the pitch. Even with the games he hasn't played recently because of injury, you can see his engagement in the dressing room and by the side of the dugout. It's no show - although some of his tracksuits need a mention, but that's another matter!
"It's just generally how he is every day. When you see him and when you don't, he's a very infectious, hard-working, committed lad.
"We're really enjoying working with him. How long it will be for - the longer the better, for me. But we don't know.
"At some stage we're going to have to have the discussion with him. But the fact he says he's happy and content pleases me, because that's always what I want for a player - for their self-worth to be high, because that's when you get the best out of them. And if we get the best out of Jesse, then we've got a good player.
"The main thing for Jesse at the minute is to get him back fit and playing. We're not looking beyond that.”
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