Jesse Lingard is a wanted man at West Ham and has been urged to return to the club in a summer transfer by goalkeeper Darren Randolph.
Lingard spent the second half of last season on loan in east London, scoring nine goals in 16 games for the Hammers as he looked to earn regular first-team football away from Manchester United.
But after impressing so much during his time away, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted that the player is firmly in his plans for the new season meaning a return to West Ham is more and more unlikely as the transfer window begins to enter its final stretch.
Solskjaer spoke about Lingard's future after United's 5-1 win over Leeds — in which the 28-year-old did not feature as he recovers from covid-19 — and said: "Don’t forget Jesse Lingard.
"He has reinvented himself and he has come back the man that we know. With the quality he has, he is going to play a big part
All that seems to have done though is put his potential new clubs on red alert when it comes to a charm offensive, as his former teammate at the London Stadium took to Instagram to try to convince him to make a swift return to the club.
Following West Ham's 4-2 win over Newcastle in their opening game of the season, Randolph posted a story on his official account of a black screen with text in what was a direct message to the Reds' attacking midfielder.
The message read, "@JesseLingard I'll be seeing you soon at Rush Green for training! You know you want to!" along with several emojis including a wink face and the two crossed over hammers just like the club's crest.
After spending six months at the London Stadium, Lingard has admitted that he will always have a bond with West Ham and has admitted he will be a fan for life. Hammers boss David Moyes has made no secret of his desire to sign Lingard again.
The player is expected back in United training this week and is in contention to be involved in their next game against Southampton next Sunday at St Mary's Stadium.
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