England manager Gareth Southgate is 'strongly considering' recalling Jesse Lingard to his squad ahead of this month's World Cup qualifiers, say reports.
Lingard, who is currently on a season-long loan at West Ham, has impressed under David Moyes since arriving from Manchester United in the January transfer window.
The 28-year-old scored twice on his debut against Aston Villa and since, the attacking midfielder been a driving force in the club's push for European football next season.
As a result of his good form at the London Stadium, it is believed Lingard is 'prominent' in Gareth Southgate's thoughts, according to The Telegraph.
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In fact, Southgate is a huge admirer of the Manchester United academy product. He gave him a glowing review when West Ham manager David Moyes approached him for a reference before making the loan signing official.
And although Lingard hasn't appeared for England since June 2019 in the Nations League, it looks like he will be in line for a call-up alongside Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.
In a recent interview, Lingard explained he had a period of reflection during lockdown and worked tirelessly to try and get back into the United team.
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It didn't quite happen for him in Manchester but he's now starring in East London.
He told BT Sport: "During the lockdown I recapped my best moments playing football - the season under Jose [Mourinho] where I scored all of those goals and went to the World Cup and the season when Ole came in and I started well.
"So I started recapping a lot of games to see where I did well, getting that fire in my belly and drive again to go and kick on because it would have been easy for me to fall off and take the easy option out. But a person like me who's been through a lot and knows the game, I can't just give it up like and I'll always go out with a fight.
"I came back one of the strongest and fittest [at United] after the [first] lockdown and I didn't get my chance that I was waiting on but the whole time I was there and not playing I was doing extra training and keeping on top of my fitness for when the time was right.
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"So for me it's about working hard and staying dedicated and I went back to basics."
Gareth Southgate will name his England squad on Thursday ahead of games against San Marino, Albania and Poland.
Thoughts on the potential recall of Lingard?
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Let us know in the comments.
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Topics: Football, Manchester United, Premier League, England, West Ham, Gareth Southgate, Jesse Lingard
