All throughout last season, it was clear that Jesse Lingard’s future was far away from Manchester United, despite the club blocking a transfer in January.
The Red Devils needed the player for squad depth, just in case, and kept him until the end of his contract, which is when he ended up signing for Nottingham Forest.
Steve Cooper’s side underwent a lot of changes over the course of the summer, which included signing Lingered on a free transfer, perhaps to bring a bit of experience to the squad.
However, despite 11 appearances for Nottingham Forest since arriving from Manchester United, the 29-year-old has yet to score or assist his teammates, which, considering he is on reported high wages, isn’t exactly ideal.
The alleged £200k/week wages were mentioned over in the Netherlands to Jaap Stam, who is a bit of an icon at Old Trafford following his spell there.
His reaction? He told ViaPlay, relayed by Voetbal Primeur: “I earned that in three years, him in a week. Times are changing. These kinds of players are lured from a big club, but they also expect something extra.”
As for Lingard struggling at Nottingham Forest, a smaller club compared to Manchester United, he said: “That is always difficult. It also has to do with your fellow players. If you come to another team as an individual with less good players, then you have to excel, and that makes it very difficult.”
It’s fair to say that the attacking midfielder didn’t do that in the 5-0 loss to Arsenal at the weekend, and he has yet to fully justify his signing since arriving.
Prior to his move to Nottingham Forest, Lingard had played 232 times for Manchester United, scoring 35 goals and assisting another 21.
