Jesse Lingard pictured in West Ham action against Ipswich despite secrecy agreement
Jesse Lingard has been pictured in action for West Ham United against Ipswich Town in a behind-closed-doors friendly, as shared by Joe Davis.
The West Ham Way writer posted the photo on Twitter on Thursday (7 September) showing the former Manchester United midfielder in full Irons kit alongside a number of Ipswich Town players, despite an agreement for no images to be published being agreed between the two sides.
David Moyes is interested in Lingard returning to the London Stadium on an incentivised deal this summer, should he prove that he is committed to performing with the Irons [Simon Jones, 4 September] and the friendly against the Tractor Boys was his opportunity to earn the deal.
However, the two clubs had reportedly agreed a secrecy deal to not film or publish any images from the fixture in an attempt to hide any evidence from the public of Lingard or anyone else’s performance at Rush Green [Daily Mail, 7 September].
Secrets out
To be quite honest, it was by no means a state secret that the 30-year-old would be lining up for the Irons against Kieran McKenna’s side over the international break with it being public knowledge Lingard had been training with the Hammers over the summer.
While we do now know that he definitely did line up in claret and blue on Thursday, nobody is quite sure how he managed to perform, with rumours already spreading over social media surrounding his fitness or performance.
It is unlikely the former Nottingham Forest man’s future will be decided throughout one 90-minute friendly against Championship opposition, but it will have given Moyes an indication of just how close Lingard is to having an impact on his first team.
With clubs around Europe interested in signing the former England international, we’ll likely get some confirmation on the next step of his career in the coming days and it seems as though West Ham will be the first in line if they think he’s ready to return to East London.
Hopefully, should Lingard return to the London Stadium, he can rediscover the form that made his loan spell so unforgettable in 2021 and reignite his career after a disappointing spell with Nottingham Forest.
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