Jesse Lingard to play in behind-closed-doors friendly as West Ham United to make transfer decision
Jesse Lingard is set to play in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Ipswich Town for West Ham on Thursday (7 September), according to Sean Whetstone.
The 6foot2editor tweeted on 6 September that the friendly against the Championship side will be the England international’s biggest test as he looks to earn a contract with the Hammers.
After the 30-year-old has been training with the Irons for the past few weeks, Whetstone said there is still belief that David Moyes will offer the midfielder a short-term deal until January.
Opportunity
The friendly will hand Lingard an opportunity to prove why he deserves to be handed a deal after he is believed to have impressed in training in recent weeks.
If he puts in a good performance against Ipswich, that will go a long way towards proving that it would be worth offering him a contract until at least January.
After his exceptional loan spell at the London Stadium in 2021, where he scored nine goals in 16 appearances, he has turned the Irons down on two occasions over the past couple of years.
Lingard has been the subject of interest from Saudi Arabian sides over the past few days, but as their transfer window closes on 7 September, it looks as though a move to the Middle East is unlikely.
That means it looks likely that he will finally sign a permanent deal with the Hammers despite his previous actions as he looks to rebuild his career and get back to his best.
In other West Ham news, a Sky Sports journalist has been wowed by Tim Steidten after signing a “top-six player”.