Former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard made an appearance for Steven Gerrard’s Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq, despite still being a free agent.
Lingard, who left United in 2022, has been on the hunt for a new club after his contract with Nottingham Forest expired at the end of the last season.
The 30-year-old former Forest player had been heavily linked with West Ham in the summer and had been training with the Hammers since he became a free agent.
According to 90min in September, Lingard had attracted interest from clubs in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the MLS while he trained at West Ham.
The ex-England international had thrived during a six-month loan spell at West Ham in 2021 and it appeared as though David Moyes might try and sign him again.
But a short-term contract offer for Lingard at West Ham failed to materialise before the player signed up for a one-month training programme at Al Ettifaq.
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Lingard featured for Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq
Goal reports that Lingard played for Al Ettifaq in a friendly match against Bahraini Premier League side Al Khaldiya on Wednesday.
Lingard found the back of the net for Gerrard’s men only four minutes into the match, but the Saudi Pro League side secured a 2-2 draw against Al Khaldiya.
Al Ettifaq’s official account on X, formerly known as Twitter, posted a photo of Lingard with winger Mohammed Al Kuwaykibi from the match.
Lingard’s performance — and impact — for Al Ettifaq against Al Khaldiya could be a major boost for the ex-United star in his bid to land an official contract with the club.
Why didn’t Lingard sign for West Ham?
It came as a surprise to many that Lingard did not sign with West Ham after his one-month training stint came to an end and instead moved to Saudi Arabia.
Lingard was in the form of his life under former United boss Moyes and a return to the London Stadium seemed like the next logical destination for the ex-Forest player.
Despite Lingard’s decision to leave West Ham after his training spell, Moyes was not disappointed that he couldn’t sign the former Three Lions star to a short-term deal.
Speaking after West Ham’s 3-1 defeat to Liverpool in September, Moyes said: “No not at all [disappointed that Lingard left for Saudi].
“I’m quite comfortable and more than relaxed with it.
“I think I’ve been indicating to you [the media] boys that we’re having to see what he’s going to do and how’s he going to be.
“We like Jesse a lot but I just don’t know if we need another player in the position [that] he would probably play for us.”
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