In Focus: Lacklustre Lingard struggling for form at Forest

Jesse Lingard shocked many fans when he opted to leave Manchester United and join a new-look Nottingham Forest side last summer.

The former West Ham loanee signed a one-year deal as a free agent after his contract expired at Old Trafford, despite interest from the likes of the Hammers and Tottenham.

But his spell at the City Ground has been hugely underwhelming and Lingard has failed to score or assist in 12 appearances for the club.

Ahead of Forest's Carabao Cup clash with Spurs this evening, we turn the spotlight on the 29-year-old.

Heralded arrival

Lingard was arguably the marquee name of a flurry of incoming transfers at Forest over the summer.

The England international was hoped to provide the experience and quality to spearhead a challenge for a top-half finish, rather than the relegation battle the bottom-placed side now face.

Despite standout wins over West Ham and Liverpool, on the whole, boss Steve Cooper has struggled to get his new arrivals singing from the same hymn sheet.

With frequent squad rotations, Lingard has not played a full 90 minutes since the victory over the Hammers on August 14, and was benched for last Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Brentford.

Watching from the sidelines at the City Ground for a side sitting in the drop zone is certainly not how Lingard would have expected his time in the East Midlands to pan out.

Goal shy

In his best years, Lingard thrived as an attacking midfielder or in a wider position in a front three.

His shooting ability and range of passing are of the highest standard when he is given the freedom to express his talents, but he appears to be playing in a more restricted fashion under Cooper.

The 32-cap international has registered just nine shots in the Premier League — and only two of them have hit the target. 

What is more worrying is the fact that Lingard is yet to create a big chance in a match, despite his more advanced role in the Forest system.

The playmaker has completed 173 of his 212 attempted passes, but with just one through ball attempted and one successful cross, there is undoubted concern over the player's form. 

And with the likes of Emmanuel Dennis, Morgan Gibbs-White and Brennan Johnson fighting Lingard for a starting place, the FA Cup winner will have to make significant improvements to regain his place in the first XI.

Finding form

Despite his tough start to life in Nottingham, Lingard retains the backing of his boss.

In October, Forest won just one game but it came against Liverpool, where Lingard put in his best performance in a red shirt.

Before this, Cooper had admitted that he expects more from his star signing, although he did not suggest that Lingard had been playing poorly.

He said: "I’ve reminded him that he only came in shortly before the start of the season. He’s actually done a lot, from missing pre-season to where he is now in terms of physical status.

"We don’t want to see Jesse not starting games, that’s not why he’s here. He doesn’t want to either — every player will say that. We’re both ready for him to step up in terms of his contributions to games.

"He hasn’t been poor. Don’t get me wrong, he hasn’t been bad and a lot of the time he’s been good but we know he’s a really talented guy. We’re seeing that in training."

Cutting ties

With Gareth Southgate set to name his England squad for the World Cup tomorrow, any hopes Lingard harboured of making a late dart for Qatar are well and truly dashed.

And after losing his place in Cooper's side, his short-term future at Forest is even in jeopardy.

Reports suggest the Reds could look to offload the player and his wages as early as January after losing patience with his performances. 

With relegation a real threat, club chiefs backed Cooper with a new contract last month, but they may not be so forgiving to their underperforming high earners.

For Lingard, it is unlikely that the Hammers will return for a third time and any interest may be limited to clubs outside the Premier League.

Therefore, the United academy graduate needs to improve quickly or he may find himself fast running out of options at the top level.