The deadline for naming the 25-man squad for the Premier League campaign is gone, but West Ham only put 24 names on their list, which means they could add a 25th at any point. It seems that they re keeping the slot open for the possibility of bringing back Jesse Lingard, who spent the second half of 2020/21 there, on loan from Manchester United.
Lingard played for Nottingham Forest last season, and as that contract expired at the end of June, he s now a free agent and has been training with the Hammers intensively. As revealed by West Ham boss David Moyes, the 30-year-old forward is still to get to the level of fitness expected at a Premier League club, but the signs are promising and the doors for his return to the London Stadium remain open.
He s in really good condition – much better condition than he was when he first came in, .
I have to say, when Jesse joined us two years ago I think he scored nine goals in 15 games and was probably the difference between us getting into Europe for the first time.
I want to give him every opportunity to get himself back in condition and see how he does.
So there s no real update on it at the moment, just to say that he s back and getting much closer to the levels of fitness where you d hope he would be.
