The deadline to name a 25-man squad for the Premier League campaign has passed, but West Ham have only included 24 names on their list, meaning they could add a 25th at any time. They appear to be holding out the option of bringing back Jesse Lingard, who spent the second half of the 2020/21 season there, on loan from Manchester United.
Lingard played for Nottingham Forest last season and since his contract expired at the end of June, he has become a free agent and has been training intensively with the Hammers. The 30-year-old is yet to reach the level of fitness expected of a Premier League club, but signs are encouraging and the door remains open for him to return to the London Stadium, West Ham manager David Moyes said.
“He’s in really good shape – much better than when he first arrived.” Moyes said.
“I have to say that when Jesse joined us two years ago, I think he scored nine goals in 15 games and that was probably what got us into Europe for the first time.
“I want to give him every opportunity to get back into shape and see how he feels.
“So there’s no update on that at the moment, just to say he’s back and getting a lot closer to the level of fitness you’d hope he’d be at.”