WEST HAM will do ‘whatever it takes’ to sign Jesse Lingard permanently from Manchester United, it has been claimed.
Lingard left Old Trafford in January after being frozen out of the side and joined the Hammers until the end of the season.
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It proved pivotal for the playmaker, who has re-found his form with six goals and four assists in eight matches for West Ham.
The Hammers are desperate to keep Lingard, 28, but do not have a clause in the loan deal to make the move permanent.
A West Ham source reportedly told Sky Sports: “We will do whatever it takes to sign him. He’s been outstanding for us.”
Lingard even received a call up in England’s last round of World Cup qualifiers after two years in the wilderness.
He started against San Marino and came off the bench against Albania and Poland, with England winning all three.
He travelled to and scored in the 2018 World Cup and is now fighting for a place on the plane for this summer’s delayed European Championship.
Lingard boosted his chances again in West Ham’s weekend win over Wolves with a magnificent 60-yard run, which resulted in a goal.
After the Hammers 3-2 win, United legend Gary Neville said: “He does an incredible amount of running.
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“It’s what he does. He’s good out of possession and good in possession.
“At Manchester United. because there is that expectation of what you need to be, to be a wide player there, he’s always going to get a difficult press.
“But if he was playing in a world-class team, if he was, say, Ji-Sung Park 10 years ago playing with Ronaldo and Rooney, doing that supplementary role, then people would be saying he’s perfect for this squad.
“The problem is he was not playing in Manchester United teams as good as that, so he gets a bit of stick. He’s a really good player. He’s going to have a great career.
“Manchester United have sent him out to West Ham to boost his career, maybe with the thought of boosting his price tag, but they might be thinking, ‘Actually, we might want him back, he could be a real help to us’.
“If Jesse wants to play, and you can see he does want to play, then he needs to leave, because he’s not going to play every single week for a Manchester United team that’s competing for second or first place in the league.
“But if he’s willing to go back there and compete and be the player that Dan James has been for the last few weeks, in and out, then there’s no doubt he can play for Manchester United.”
