West Ham were never close to signing Jesse Lingard, reveals David Moyes... as he claims Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 'made it quite clear' he wanted him at Man United
- David Moyes says West Ham were never close to signing Jesse Lingard
- Lingard excelled while on loan at West Ham from Manchester United last season
- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made it clear that he wanted to keep the 28-year-old
David Moyes has revealed that West Ham weren't close to signing Jesse Lingard from Manchester United on a permanent basis.
Lingard enjoyed a hugely productive loan spell at West Ham in the second half of last season, during which he scored nine goals and provided five assists in 16 Premier League appearances.
There were strong suggestions that the attacking midfielder could rejoin West Ham permanently, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer informed Moyes that he wanted to keep Lingard at Old Trafford.
David Moyes says West Ham were never close to signing Jesse Lingard on a permanent basis
Lingard excelled while on loan at West Ham last season as he scored nine goals in the league
Lingard could play some part against West Ham this weekend when Solskjaer's side visit London Stadium.
As reported by Sky Sports, Moyes said: 'Ole made it quite clear to me early in the transfer window that he wanted to keep him.
'So I knew pretty early that he would be staying at Manchester United.
'I was hearing all the stuff but I had a private conversation with Ole who made it clear he was staying.'
Since returning to Manchester United Lingard has had a mixed time. He has featured twice as a substitute in the Premier League, scoring against Newcastle last weekend.
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is eager for Lingard to sign a new contract
However, he also came off the bench against Young Boys in the Champions League and needlessly squandered possession in the build up to the Swiss side scoring a late winner.
The 28-year-old's current contract at Old Trafford expires at the end of this season and Solskjaer revealed that this week that he hopes Lingard will remain at the club despite rejecting an offer of a new deal.
Solskjaer said: ‘He’s got one year left on his contract and the club is talking to him and his dad.
‘We see him as a United player in the future as well. Jesse has come back to us after a great spell at West Ham. He showed his qualities and got back into the England squad.
‘We really want to see the best of him this season. We support him and we hope to keep him here with us — he’s a Red through and through.’
Lingard joined United's academy at the age of seven and has gone on to made 213 appearances for the club, scoring 34 goals and providing 20 assists. He has been capped by England on 31 occasions.
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