Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted the ‘reinvented’ Jesse Lingard is part of his plans, while the Manchester United manager has also hinted at a return of Dean Henderson.
Lingard enjoyed a productive loan with West Ham in the second half of last season, scoring nine times in 16 Premier League appearances.
The 28-year-old’s impressive performances for the Hammers secured a call-up in England at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, although he narrowly missed Gareth Southgate’s last side for Euro 2020.
David Moyes is reportedly keen to bring Lingard back to London Stadium, but Solskjaer has stressed the importance of the midfielder to his United side, despite incredible depth of talent in that area of the pitch at Old Trafford.
“Don’t forget Jesse Lingard who reinvented himself and came back the man we know he is with quality,” said Solskjaer.
“He’s also going to play a big role.
“Of course there could be more rotation. We will be fresher. We will need to have a big and strong team to be competitive in this league.
“It’s the best league in the world and we have to be lucky with injuries too, but I’m looking forward to working with all of these players.
“We have to work hard and see who is fit and available. There will definitely be a few fit and available. [against Southampton next Sunday]. “
Lingard’s nine goals for West Ham come from a total of 28 attempts, and he has averaged one goal every 158 minutes.
In total, he played 1,424 league minutes for the Hammers, placing him behind Bruno Fernandes (1,446) and Tomas Soucek (1,619) in terms of midfielders for each club from the start of his loan until the end of the season.
His four assists were only passed by Fernandes, with his 18 chances created also more than any other West Ham or United midfielder except the Portuguese playmaker.
Lingard’s willingness to run with the ball also gave West Ham’s attack a different dimension, and his 51 attempted dribbles were 20 more than second-placed Pablo Fornals.
Solskjaer will also have a welcome picking headache between posts. David de Gea started in Saturday’s victory, with Henderson still recovering from COVID-19.
However, the United manager has confirmed that Henderson could return in contention for the trip to St. Mary’s Stadium as he returns to training on Monday.
“We’ll see how he feels and hopefully he can take part in training on Monday,” Solskjaer added.
“It’s a very important test for him and we hope he feels better.”
The pair shared goalkeeper duties last season, with De Gea appearing 26 times and Henderson allowing 13 Premier League starts.
The Spain international saved 60 of 280 shots he faced in the Premier League in 2020-21 for a save percentage of 65.22, compared to 76.47 for Henderson, who made 40 saves on 150 shots.
The England goalkeeper conceded 0.96 goals every 90 minutes in all competitions, while De Gea allowed 1.25, despite starting the double in Solskjaer’s men’s games.
