Nottingham Forest forward Jesse Lingard should not be singled out for his poor start to the season, says head coach Steve Cooper.
Lingard's performances have been below expectations since he joined Forest one a one-year deal this summer and has yet to record a goal or an assist in the Premier League. That record is arguably more noticeable because he is a high-profile player, but Cooper believes all of his players should come under equal scrutiny.
Asked whether Lingard had been frustrated with his start to life at Forest, Cooper said: “I don’t think you can go and – with respect – write that just about Jesse. He’s a high-profile player but we don’t treat him differently here. He will be feeling exactly like everybody else, I’m sure, but it’s all about looking forward now and improving on what’s happened over the last few weeks, especially.
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“Now is not the time to be talking about individuals. 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.
“We need our really good players to play well, there’s no doubt about it. We can’t just say him, whether it’s the goalkeeper or striker or everyone in between.
“Everybody has to play well. If we can do that in our way and in our team then that’s how we improve. You build confidence, you build spirit and results will improve – so we’ve got to earn that.”
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