WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Jesse Lingard is training with West Ham as he looks for a short-term contract
The England international was released by Nottingham Forest in the summer
Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins’
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
Free agent Jesse Lingard has been pictured training with West Ham ahead of their Europa League match against Backa Topola, as the England international looks set to earn a short-term contract with the Hammers.
Lingard was released by Nottingham Forest this summer, less than a year after joining the club and becoming their top earner – and the player has been training with the Hammers ever since.
He was pictured being put through his paces with the rest of the squad as they prepare to start their Europa League campaign after winning the UEFA Conference League last season.
Mail Sport reported that the England international has impressed manager David Moyes, who is considering offering him a short-term contract but wants to be sure of his commitment to the club first.
Moyes refused to rule out a free transfer for Lingard when discussing the player’s future at his press conference last week.
Jesse Lingard was pictured training with West Ham as he bid to secure a short-term contract
The England star was put through his paces ahead of the club’s Europa League match against Backa Topola this week
Your browser does not support iframes.
“Jesse has trained with us for three weeks and he has improved enormously since he first came in,” Moyes said talkSPORT on Tuesday.
‘It’s in really good condition, much better than when it came in.
“I have to say that when Jesse joined us two years ago, I think he scored nine goals in 15 games, which was probably the difference between us when we first came to Europe.
‘I want to give him every opportunity to get back into shape and see how he is doing.
‘So there’s no real update on that at the moment, just to say he’s back and getting much closer to the fitness level you would hope he would be at.’
Lingard hopes to continue to impress David Moyes and sign on a free transfer
The 30-year-old played a behind-closed-doors friendly with Ipswich during the international break, although no footage of the match was released due to a pre-arranged agreement between the two clubs.
He endured a disappointing spell at the City Ground after joining Steve Cooper on a one-year deal.
Lingard failed to score or provide an assist in 17 Premier League games for Forest.
The midfielder has made just three appearances in the league since January, two of which were as volatile substitutes.
Lingard had opted to join Forest over West Ham last summer after being offered a more lucrative package believed to be worth £200,000 per week.
This led to an ill-tempered clash between the clubs at the City Ground last August, when Hammers supporters threw counterfeit £50 notes at Lingard.