Jesse Lingard won’t care a jot that West Ham fans threw fake bank notes at him for rejecting move

Jesse Lingard may be only two games into his Nottingham Forest career but supporters of one of his former clubs have long since made up their minds about the England international.

Early in Sunday’s game at the City Ground, West Ham fans hurled fake bank notes on to the pitch. The message was pretty easy to understand: Lingard, they felt, had chosen Forest over the Hammers for the money.

Not that Lingard will care a jot. At things stand, he is here for one season only and if he starts well, the 29-year-old could even play himself back into the England squad in time for this winter’s World Cup, with Gareth Southgate in the stand here. If he sustains good form for the whole season, Forest will have a good chance of staying up and Lingard will again be an attractive free transfer option for many clubs.

Fake money was thrown by West Ham fans at Lingard because he opted to join Forest

Lingard’s move is calculated and has drawn criticism, notably from Gary Neville, another former Manchester United player. It could go wrong, too: if Forest slip back into the Championship immediately and Lingard does not shine, it is difficult to imagine him returning to the higher reaches of the Premier League again.

Against the fans he has made so angry, this was a perfect opportunity to deliver. Lingard scored nine times in 16 games on loan from United in the second half of the 2020-21 season and Forest need him to make a similar impact.

After a quiet start in last weekend’s 2-0 opening day defeat at Newcastle, Lingard again lined just behind the forwards in Steve Cooper’s 3-4-1-2 system. Despite Forest’s dominant start to the game, Lingard struggled to make his presence felt, as fellow new signings Taiwo Awoniyi, Neco Williams and Lewis O’Brien impressed against David Moyes’ men.

Jesse Lingard (left) played with Declan Rice (right) during his loan spell at West Ham United

Then, as West Ham broke following a Forest corner, Lingard tried and failed to keep pace with Said Benrahma. The forward collected a return pass from Declan Rice and slotted past Dean Henderson, only for the goal to be ruled out for a foul by Michail Antonio on another Forest new boy – there were eight of them in total in the starting XI – Moussa Niakhate. A let-off for the home side.

At the other end, Lingard played a key role in Forest’s opener, though it would not rank among his most memorable moments.

Harry Toffolo did superbly to find space on the left and when he looked up, Lingard had cleverly found space between the penalty spot and the six-yard box. A goal on his home debut was there for the taking, but Lingard mishit his shot horribly. No matter.

Jesse Lingard set-up Nottingham Forest’s first-half goal against his former side West Ham

As it bobbled towards goal, Lingard’s effort bounced off West Ham defender Ben Johnson and on to the shin of Awoniyi, who was closing in. The double deflection left Hammers goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski helpless and seconds from the half-time whistle, Forest led.

Henderson saved a penalty from Rice and made numerous key interventions, while both Pablo Fornals and Benrahma hit the underside of the bar.

Though clearly not yet match fit, Lingard’s every touch was cheered by Forest fans who have already fallen in love with him. Over the coming weeks, his challenge is to repay it.