West Ham could have helped Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard to rediscover his form and get back in the England squad again, believes journalist Paul Brown.
The east London club were interested in re-signing the 29-year-old before his move to Steve Cooper's side, and Brown thinks he will regret not returning to them.
GiveMeSport The Verdict
How has Lingard performed at the City Ground?
Things are not exactly going to plan for Forest and Lingard right now.
The newly-promoted Premier League side currently find themselves 20th in the table, while Lingard is yet to score or set up a goal this season. His manager, however, is not willing to play the blame game.
"Now is not the time to be talking about individuals," Cooper said (via The Independent) when asked specifically about Lingard. "It’s really about the narrative of being together and as one, as much as we can. That’s what you do in tough times. You stick together and get out of it."
With Lingard reportedly earning up to £120,000 a week at the City Ground, though, he will be under the microscope this season.
What has Brown said about Lingard and West Ham?
Amid his struggles at Forest, Brown thinks Lingard, who spent the second half of the 2020/21 season at the London Stadium, made a mistake not going back to West Ham.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said: "I think the only chance he ever had of getting back in the England squad and returning to some of the form that he showed when he was one of Manchester United's best players, because he was once, was to sign for West Ham.
"I think he made a mistake not going there. If he doesn't realise that, I think eventually he will when he sits down and looks back with hindsight."
How badly did West Ham want Lingard?
Manager David Moyes really wanted to bring him back to east London.
"I thought Jesse, in the end, would come here, and I've got to say the club made him a really good offer," the Hammers boss said (via The Sun) back in August.
“You couldn't turn around and say David Sullivan and the owners didn't do everything they could to get him. They certainly did, but he chose Forest. He was entitled to do that."
Lingard dazzled during his temporary stint with the Hammers, scoring nine goals in 16 outings. Considering that, Moyes being keen to snap him up again came as no shock, but it was not to be.
You can find all of the latest football news and rumours right here