Paul Merson claims Jesse Lingard could be the 'X-Factor' Nottingham Forest need for their return to the Premier League.
Lingard became the Reds' 11th signing of the summer when he agreed a one-year deal at the City Ground. The 29-year-old arrives on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract at Manchester United, putting an end to his 22 year stay at the Red Devils.
Steve Cooper, who is said to have played a big role in luring Lingard to NG2, beat West Ham to sign the England international, despite his loan spell at the London Stadium in the second half of the 2020/21 season.
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Plenty of figures within the football world have been reacting to the move, and one person who believes it will prove to be a good one for Forest is former Premier League star Paul Merson. He shared his view on Lingard's decision in his latest column for the Daily Star.
"Jesse Lingard's situation shows that the days of any old player running their contract down are over," he said. "I think they are gone. Unless you are top, top drawer, you're not going to leave a big club on a free and get paid a fortune to join another one. Lingard is a good player, but none of the 'Big Six' clubs were in for him. And I can't believe Nottingham Forest are paying him a king's ransom to go there.
"He was probably holding out for a big club. He could have signed for West Ham a year or so ago, but the big clubs didn't come calling. He's basically lost a season of his career sitting waiting at Manchester United and now he's going to Nottingham Forest.
"No disrespect, Forest have done great and the manager is different class, but he'll be working on scraps there. He'll play games for them where he's not had a sniff of a goal.
"Maybe he wants to make sure he plays every week. And fair play to him if that's the case. He' missed a lot of football. It's a short career, he's not getting any younger, and he needs to play every week. Forest need an X-Factor and Lingard can be that."
Do you think Lingard will be a success at the City Ground? Let us know in the comment section
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