By Wayne Veysey

30th Sep, 2023 | 12:01pm

Revealed: The real reason West Ham pulled the plug on Jesse Lingard deal - sources

West Ham pulled the plug on their interest in signing Jesse Lingard due to his lack of fitness, sources have told Football Insider.

The 30-year-old is a free agent and had been training with West Ham since August 14, following the expiry of his one-year contract at Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2022-23 season.

Lingard will train with Saudi Pro League club Al Ettifaq, managed by Steven Gerrard, for one month in the hope of earning a contract.

It has been reported that Lingard opted to end his association with West Ham in order to pursue a move to Al Ettifaq.

But Football Insider has been told that it was West Ham who chose to sever ties with the former England international.

David Moyes and his coaching staff felt Lingard’s fitness was nowhere near the level required of a Premier League midfielder and it would take him too long to get up to speed.

Lingard trained for over a month with the Hammers and featured for David Moyes’ side in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Championship side Ipswich Town in September.

He was outstanding for the Hammers during a loan spell in the second half of the 2020-21 season when he scored six league goals to keep them up.

But he turned down a return to the London Stadium last summer to sign a lucrative deal with Forest.

Lingard made 20 appearances across all competitions last term and was in the starting lineup for 14 of those outings.

In other news, West Ham set sights on Spanish star to replace Tomas Soucek.