In a recent interview with Football Insider, former England striker Kevin Phillips has backed Aston Villa to move in for Manchester United playmaker Jesse Lingard, who is currently playing on loan at West Ham United. Phillips said,
“Lingard is going to be linked with every Premier League club this summer.
“He’s been fantastic at West Ham. I think he’ll end up staying there but it’s no surprise that clubs like Villa are interested.
“I was very surprised with Ross, I really praised him early on but he’s gone off the boil.
“Clearly there’s something not quite right because he’s not kicked on like I thought he would so Lingard would be an ideal replacement.
“West Ham, he’s already there, he’s worked with David Moyes. I see West Ham pulling up trees to sign him.
“The player might opt for that too and that’s assuming Manchester United don’t want him back, which I don’t think they will.”
Lingard’s Excellent Loan Spell At The London Stadium This Season
Lingard is having a dream loan spell with the Hammers in the second half of this campaign as he has been responsible for producing some match-winning performances for David Moyes’ side which has kept them in the hunt to secure UEFA Champions League football for next season.
The 28-year-old has found the back of the net on nine occasions and secured four assists in 11 matches for the East London outfit this term across various competitions. Lingard deserves a lot of plaudits for averaging 3.0 shots, 0.9 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football this season. He has also been an accurate distributor of the ball, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 80.7% in the English top-flight (stats via whoscored).
Should The Villans Get Lingard On Board This Summer?
Lingard is a deceptively quick attacker who can complete some promising dribbles in the opposition half. He can be a consistent goal-scorer when he is playing regularly and with confidence on the field. Plus, the Warrington talent knows how to get the better of his marker in and around the opponent’s penalty box.
The 27-time England international can also create some decent chances for others around him and is a tidy passer of the ball. However, there are some question marks over whether he has what it takes to perform at a high level consistently for a full season.
Either way, it is only logical for the Villans to register their interest in recruiting Lingard who is currently playing some of his best football under the stewardship of Moyes. He will bring more creativity and dynamism to Dean Smith’s midfield department that has often underperformed in recent weeks. All in all, Smith should make it his priority to get a player of Lingard’s quality on board so that he can inspire his players to challenge for a top-four place in the Premier League next season.
