Jesse Lingard has "not delivered" during his time at Nottingham Forest according to former Reds midfielder Jermaine Jenas.
The 30-year-old joined Steve Cooper's side last summer with much fanfare over his arrival at the City Ground after leaving Manchester United. But the midfielder, who has made 32 appearances for England, has so far failed to deliver consistently during his time at the Reds.
Lingard has yet to score or register an assist in the Premier League for Forest with his only goals for the Reds coming in the Carabao Cup. That has led to Jenas pointing out the honest reality of Lingard's performances for Steve Cooper's team this season.
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“With regards to their survival, Morgan Gibbs-White has been their best player but he’s struggling for goals quite heavily," he told the Mirror:
“And they spent all that money on Jesse Lingard and he’s not delivered. I’m not having a go at Morgan because he has been brilliant but to stay in this league they have a big couple of months coming up. Jesse has more to bring to the table, once Morgan gets a goal he’ll crack on. If they can do that then they’ll have no problem staying in the league.
“If they don’t chip in and it all gets left to Brennan Johnson or Chris Wood, who hasn’t really been performing yet, it’s going to be very tight. Everton are improving, Southampton and Bournemouth can get three points in one week. It’ll be so tight but the goals are vital.”
Here's what Reds fans have had to say about Jenas' comments...
Anthony Kelly: Wouldn’t be in my squad again this season. Better options available
Owen Thomason: Can't argue he hasn't delivered on the pitch to date, but if he scores or assists the winner on the last day of the season to keep us up he'll have been worth every penny.
Nick Hill: I’ve said this countless times now, but we don’t retain the ball or play high up the pitch enough to see a luxury play like Lingard at his best. He’s not the type to drop back and win the ball
Daniel Brown-Bennison: We always knew this would be amazing or a flop
Russell Cable: Don’t think you find a fan that won't be glad to see him go and free up some cash on the wage bill
Sean Patrick: I think our tactics have been woeful and the manager should know where and how Lingard plays to get the best out of him it seems he like players out of position
Jody Paul Price: He was just starting to play well last time before he got injured. Plus he wasn’t fit when joined
Martin Cloonan: I think we knew what we were getting. Lingard needs good players around him to shine at Forest he hasn’t got that
Kyle Funnell: Paid for a Rolls Royce, got a Hyundai
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