West Ham must battle to land Jesse Lingard permanently this summer
Rio Ferdinand says Jesse Lingard won’t be able to turn Manchester United down if Ole Gunnar Solksjaer offers him a lifeline after his excellent spell with West Ham.
The 28-year-old has been the best performing player in the Premier League since his loan switch to East London in February. He’s gone from a forgotten man to a clinical goalscorer and has been recalled to the England national set-up.
But Ferdinand believes Lingard could have a big decision to make this summer. Speaking on the Vibe with Five Podcast, he encouraged his former teammate to stay with West Ham but argues it won’t be easy to exit Old Trafford should be offered another chance.
“If he isn’t going to be as happy and content as he is right now going back to Man United, I’d say stay where you are, stay at West Ham,” said Ferdinand.
“Stay and play football and enjoy yourself. But, if you’re going to be told by Ole that you’re gonna be a big player, play a lot of games, you’re gonna be in this team, then you go back to Man United. You can’t turn Man United down, I don’t care who you are.
“West Ham are gonna fight to be the only team to get him by the way. I think there will be other teams going, ‘listen, we want him’.”
Join us, Jesse
It would be a hard decision for Lingard to leave his boyhood club should they offer him a lifeline. He’s been at United since young, and has come through their academy ranks to win multiple trophies at the club he’s supported all his life.
But if he has any aspirations for his career, he simply has to go. Whilst operating in a free role with West Ham, Lingard has predominantly played out on the left with the freedom to drift centrally.
Currently, Marcus Rashford plays this role for United. He’s scored 20 goals in all competitions this season and won’t be dropped. There simply isn’t room for him at Old Trafford anymore.
At West Ham, Lingard is adored and respected. We want him playing every minute of every game, and constantly want him on the ball because he makes things happen. The sky is the limit for him in east London – hopefully, his head isn’t turned by his parent club.
As Ferdinand says, we definitely won’t be the only side in for him. How can other teams not sit up and take notice of his stats and performances? We should be in pole position, though. Surely it’ll be harder to mess this transfer up?
In other West Ham news, here are three things we learned in the 3-2 victory over Leicester City on Sunday.