A player who left Nottingham Forest in June might now join Steven Gerrard’s squad.
Jesse Lingard was allowed to leave Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2022/23 season. The 30-year-old spent only one season on Trentside, with little success.
&w=707&quality=100)
The athlete has now arrived in Saudi Arabia, according to The Athletic. He will go on trial with Al Ettifaq for a month, with Steven Gerrard anxious to run the rule over the player.
Lingard was due to sign a contract with West Ham. David Moyes permitted the versatile forward to spend three weeks on trial with the East Londoners, but no contract has been offered.
Things didn’t go exactly as planned for the England international at Forest. He didn’t get much pre-season practice, thus he started the season rusty.
Around the time that football stopped for the World Cup, Lingard was just getting up to speed. He scored and claimed an assist as the Reds defeated Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and things looked on the up.
Breaking for the World Cup did him no favours though. He returned looking to pick up where he left off but a couple of injuries in the second half of the campaign hampered his progress.
He left the Reds having made 20 appearances for the club. During his time on Trentside, he scored two goals and claimed two assists but didn’t win a new contract.
Lingard training with Al Ettifaq after Forest exit
Gerrard’s club is off to a terrific start in the Saudi Pro League. They are fourth in the league table after seven games, with five victories and one draw.
Lingard is not believed to be close to a contract at this time. The former Forest player will have to show himself in training first, and he will be hoping for good news.
West Ham were making strides toward signing him. Moyes was said to be impressed with him, but with no contract offer in hand, he’s now aiming to land a job in Saudi Arabia.
READ MORE:
Gary Neville agrees with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola over Nottingham Forest ‘madness’
Gary Neville has lambasted Manchester City player Rodri for his “absolute madness” after receiving a red card against Nottingham Forest.
Rodri was sent off in the second half of Forest’s 3-1 loss against City last Saturday. The midfielder grabbed opposite number Morgan Gibbs-White’s throat and was promptly ejected by the referee.
Speaking about the incident on his Sky Sports podcast, Neville agreed with Guardiola over his reaction to the incident. The City manager was furious with his midfielder after the match, particularly given he will miss an upcoming fixture against rivals Arsenal.
“Rodri is a wonderful player, a leader for Manchester City, and I don’t know what he was doing on Saturday,” Neville explained, “it was absolute madness, and I can understand why Pep Guardiola is furious with him.”
“Rodri’s absence from the game against Arsenal raises the stakes because City don’t have anyone who can replace him like-for-like.” But they can’t make excuses since they have a great group and enough talented players to come in.
“However, aside from Haaland, who is irreplaceable, the two most important players in that game are Rodri and Declan Rice.” So Rodri’s absence will be significant, but Arsenal must get Rice back in shape for the game in two weeks.
