West Ham facing competition from Nice for Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard has erupted back to the brilliant form he once used to be known for at West Ham. Currently, on loan there from Manchester United, The Hammers are considering making the move permanent. However, they will be facing competitions as OGC Nice is said to have entered the race for the midfielder.

Jesse Lingard is United born and bred. He joined the Red Devils back in 2000 when he was a kid. He spent 11 years with the academy before gaining the trust of the club’s then-manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Although he was called up to the senior squad twice, he only featured on the bench.

As it was difficult for the player to get regular time at the club, he was sent out on loan at Leicester City. The initial period was 1 month, which The Foxes extended to 2 and Jesse featured in 5 games. The next season he was included in the United’s friendly tour squad.

Jesse was hoping to break into the first-team after putting on an impressive pre-season display. But, he was again sent on a loan spell, to Birmingham City. This one was also a month spell, however, they extended it to 4 months. They even wanted him for the remainder of the season but he returned back to United.

A month after his return, he joined Brighton on a 93-days loan spell. He was finally able to get his competitive debut for Manchester United in 2014 under Louis Van Gaal.

That was it for that season and Lingard finally ended his loan stint after ending that season with Derby County. From the next season, he became an integral part of the squad and featured in almost every match. He is currently on loan at West Ham.

Nice willing to compete West Ham for Jesse Lingard

After enjoying a fruitful couple of seasons at his childhood club Jesse’s form started deteriorating. After Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as the club’s manager, Jesse was given plenty of chances. Ole believed that the 28-year-old midfielder is going through a rough phase and that he would come around with his best performance.

However, Ole was not able to get the best out of him and was even criticised for his decisions. There were rumours that he would be sold, but the manager decided to give him one more chance and felt a loan spell would do him good.

And what a turnaround it has been for the Warrington born. Lingard has been unstoppable since joining The Hammers and he is in the best form of his life. In his first match itself, he scored a brace. From that moment, it was raining goals for him.

In just 3 months, he has surpassed his best season at United. Jesse has currently played 12 matches and has scored 9 and assisted 4, all coming in the Premier League. He even scored an outrageous solo goal after carrying the ball more than halfway across the pitch. It is also the longest a player has run this season to score a goal.

Given his form, West Ham’s manager, David Moyes will definitely want to make his move permanent. Other clubs were monitoring him but without much enthusiasm. However things might change as Ligue 1 side, Nice has shown interest in signing him.

OGC Nice have pulled back into the race to sign Jesse Lingard. (Sky Italy) #MUFC

— United Update (@UnitedsUpdate) May 4, 2021

Nice have the required funds to make the deal happen. However, West Ham are currently 5th with a great chance of playing continental football. Whereas Nice lie 10th. Moreover, Jesse is enjoying his stay in England and a move away from his happy place doesn’t sound pleasing.