Steve Cooper has told Nottinghamshire Live that he hasn’t spoken to Jesse Lingard about his future. The head coach has been quizzed on the 30-year-old after reports linking him with a move away from the City Ground.
It was suggested earlier this week that Lingard could move on. The Reds forward has been linked with a move to either Saudi Arabia or the MLS and he could move to those destinations immediately.
Cooper isn’t keen on discussing such a notion, however. He’s fully focused on picking teams to play in the Premier League and win the relevant games to help win survival for the Reds.
Lingard has struggled to have a serious impact during his time at Forest. The experienced player has yet to register a goal contribution in the Premier League and fans are growing restless.
Cooper isn’t considering letting him go though. He does, however, concede that any departure at this stage, isn’t really his remit and Filippo Giraldi would deal with such a situation.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: “I haven’t spoken to anybody really about futures. We are just focused on the present team situation. I don’t think now is the time to be thinking about anything else apart from what it takes to train well today or what it takes to play well in the next game or win the next game.
“Filippo (Giraldi) is here as sporting director. He will take the lead on those sorts of things, with good communication with myself, ownership and the board.”
Rio Ferdinand is a bit fan of Lingard. He played with the Forest man at Manchester United and has previously called him ‘amazing’ during an interview.
Cooper hasn’t spoken to Lingard about his future
It would be quite foolish for Forest to consider letting Lingard leave now. The Reds need all the forwards they can get and letting the England international leave would seem bizarre.
Forest haven’t seen the best of Lingard. In fairness, he was getting up to full speed around the World Cup but afterwards, he’s struggled with some niggling injuries.
The Reds have work to do in their quest to secure Premier League survival. As a result, Lingard still has a part to play and his experience could prove vital to Forest’s fortunes.