Jesse Lingard has said England boss Gareth Southgate advised him to join West Ham on loan from Manchester United.
Lingard did not log a single Premier League appearance for the Red Devils in 2020-21 before he made a temporary switch to West Ham in January.
The 28-year-old has hit the ground running with the Hammers, tallying five goals and two assists in his first seven Premier League games to earn a recall to the England squad.
What was said?
“He’s shown a lot of support and belief in me, he gave me my England debut, which I’m proud of,” Lingard told talkSPORT of Southgate.
“I still kept in contact with him even though I wasn’t playing, just to get his advice on what I should do.
“It was just about the right move, whether it was going out to Europe or staying in the Premier League.
“He said, ‘If I was you, I would stay in the Premier League’. After that, it was about finding a Premier League side and West Ham fitted in perfectly.”
Lingard makes England return
Lingard will have a chance to add to his 24 caps when England take on San Marino, Albania and Poland in World Cup qualifiers this month.
The attacker became a key figure for the Three Lions after making his debut in 2016, and he started all but one game as England advanced to the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
The most recent cap for Lingard came in June 2019, when he started the UEFA Nations League third-place play-off against Switzerland.
On his England return, Lingard added: “I’ve had to work hard and graft, and I still believe in myself to play at the highest level. If you work hard, you get the rewards in the end."