JESSE LINGARD’S fine form on loan at West Ham last season was enough for Bruno Fernandes to name him the best player in the Premier League.
Lingard temporarily left Fernandes and his other Manchester United team-mates for the Hammers in January this year.
That was in a bid to get more playing time after a shocking run of injuries left him out of favour at Old Trafford.
The midfielder hit the ground running in east London and was rewarded with the twin recognition of player AND goal of the month in April.
Lingard wrote in The Players’ Tribune: “After that Bruno Fernandes referred to me as the ‘best player in the Premier League’ in an interview with United … me!!
“Can you believe that?!? That’s coming from Bruno!
“I’ve got a lot of love for Bruno. He was dropping me messages of support throughout my loan. To get that recognition from someone at his level was just amazing.”
The 28-year-old admitted he felt ‘as low as I’d ever been’ after a stubborn groin injury blighted his 2018-19 season.
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And he struggled to break back into the first team even when he did regain fitness as former boss Jose Mourinho made way for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Lingard credited his brother Lou with keeping him motivated and described how he set up whiteboards with targets to achieve after moving to West Ham.
Player and goal of the month awards were among the list of things he wanted to achieve – both of which he ticked off in the same month.
Lingard added: “After that, Lou told me that maybe I had overachieved. Hahaha!
“I wasn’t overachieving, though. What you saw at West Ham was the player I can be when everything is coming together. Let’s say it was an upgraded version of the old Jesse Lingard.”
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