Jack Wilshere has warned Jesse Lingard against leaving United to rejoin West Ham this month – urging the forgotten star to remember he is at a ‘big club’.
Lingard revived his career on loan at West Ham in the second half of last season. Here, he scored nine goals in 16 appearances to help David Moyes’ men secure Europa League qualification.
Last summer, the Hammers were keen to bring him back permanently. Yet, in the end, he chose to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford instead.
After featuring eight times under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before his sacking in November, the 29-year-old has since been afforded just 11 minutes of Premier League action under successor Ralf Rangnick, plunging his United future back into doubt.
Talk of a potential return to West Ham has therefore resurfaced in January. But, Wilshere believes Lingard should stay put in Manchester.
He said, “I think after the six months he had at West Ham, he probably thought he was going to get a chance (at Man United). He probably deserved a chance”.
“It’ll be interesting to see what happens (in) this window. He probably deserves to play. He’ll feel he deserves to play. The grass ain’t always greener. I had this a few times at Arsenal with players who didn’t want to be there”.
“Sometimes you need to sit back and look at how lucky you are to be at a big club like that and the fans”.
“Alright, they’re not challenging but it’s still a big club and teams go there and are intimidated by that. To be on that side of the fence rather than going to them places makes a massive difference”.