West Ham and England star Declan Rice has dropped a possible hint over a transfer for Jesse Lingard after the midfielder joined Manchester United pre-season training. West Ham are still understandably keen on signing Lingard following his spell in East London, with David Moyes admitting he is hopeful of a return for the attacker.
David Moyes said: “I hope Jesse is here [next season]. We would like to keep him but there is no guarantee, he is not our player. He has done an exceptional job for us on loan and we will see where we go from there. I hope Jesse will also appreciate that West Ham has been good for Jesse. I think he was in a place where maybe there are not many other clubs where what he has done here would have happened for him. We have given him an opportunity and a platform. [We had] a group of players that were in good form going into January, Jesse helped us but he joined a group of players with momentum and a club that was doing well and on the up. So, yes. I would like to keep Jesse.”
Lingard managed to strike up a good friendship with Rice during his time in London, and after posting a photo of himself in training with United coach Michael Carrick, Lingard received a message from the West Ham star hinting at a potential reconciliation.