Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has said Jesse Lingard will be "working on scraps" at Nottingham Forest.
Merson, who now works as a pundit, has tipped Forest to fall 2-0 at Newcastle this afternoon (Saturday) and had plenty to say about Lingard. He pointed out that the England international "has to stay patient and wait for his chances".
Lingard is in line to make his competitive debut for Forest in the Premier League opener, which will be the Reds' first match in the top flight since 1999. But it will be a difficult afternoon for Forest, if Paul Merson's thoughts on the match are anything to go by.
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"Nottingham Forest needed an X-factor after they got promoted, and I think Jesse Lingard fits the bill," Merson told Sportskeeda. "I can see why they've given him the money, they need something different. When you're a Championship team coming up to the Premier League, you need to sign a player like this and hope he meets expectations.
"Lingard has spent his entire career playing for big clubs that dominate football matches. He'll now be working on scraps. He hasn't experienced anything like this in his career. He has to stay patient and wait for his chances.
"The pressure's on Newcastle because everybody is expecting big things from them. They haven't made many big signings, and I had a feeling they'd take this approach. They were never going to sign superstars after superstars like it's a FIFA game. They've got to build steadily, and it doesn't help to sign only two big names for a lot of money.
"I like what they're doing at Newcastle, and I think they should aim for a top-half finish and a great cup run. If they want to have an excellent Premier League season, they have to win this match.
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