Former Premier League striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has predicted that the best is yet to come from Jesse Lingard at West Ham as the attacking midfielder thrives under David Moyes.
Speaking to Football Insider, Agbonlahor praised the on-loan Manchester United man’s “unstoppable” debut performance against Aston Villa and predicted more fine contributions between now and the end of the season.
The ex-Villa striker said of Lingard:
Yeah, I think he can [produce more]. He showed what he can do against Villa, he was unstoppable on the night and scored some great goals.
I think Moyes will be able to get even more out of him the longer he’s there. Game time is the vital thing for him. He’s the type of player who’s only going to get better and better the more he plays, he needs minutes.
Having missed last week’s FA Cup elimination at the hands of his parent club, Lingard was inspirational once again as the Hammers cruised past Sheffield United 3-0 at the London Stadium on Monday night.
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Despite barely playing competitive football for almost 18 months beforehand, the former England regular has hit the ground running in east London and has offered a whole new attacking dimension to Moyes’ side.
Lingard’s high-energy pressing and positional nous has wreaked havoc among opposition defences of late, not to mention his willingness to run beyond the last man, a trait which earned him his brace against Aston Villa a fortnight ago..
The 28-year-old has bolstered the Irons’ European bid and, as Agbonlahor has hinted, we may not have even seen the best of Lingard jus yet in a West Ham shirt.
