Jesse Lingard has been nominated for player of the month by the Premier League. The attacker joined West Ham towards the end of the January transfer window and proved to be an instant hit. The 28-year-old has slotted straight into David Moyes’ team and has been instrumental to their success in February.
The midfielder made five appearances in the league during February and scored three goals, and assisted another two. Lingard notched the winning goals in two of West Ham’s three wins, against Tottenham and Aston Villa.
The turnaround Lingard has shown since his move to the Hammers has been remarkable. Lingard had not played a single minute of Premier League football before his move this season. There were question marks by fans over his attitude and fitness, Lingard however, has quickly silenced those critics.
Jesse Lingard has been a revelation since joining West Ham and has been one of the best players in the Premier League over the last month.
Whether or not Lingard will win the monthly award remains to be seen. The Englishman is up against Harvey Barnes (Leicester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Ruben Neves (Wolves), Ralphinha (Leeds United) and Joachim Andersen (Fulham).
Lingard should have a cautious attitude to winning the award. Tomas Soucek, Angelo Ogbonna, Craig Dawson, Pablo Fornals and David Moyes have all been nominated for similar awards, but each time have lost out to players and managers from the ‘big six’.
The performances Lingard has put in has already convinced many people that West Ham need to sign him permanently in the summer. It is believed that the attacker would cost the club in excess of £20 million. If Lingard continues his current level of performances, it would be money well spent.