Jesse Lingard says his loan spell at West Ham felt like "hitting the refresh button", with the rejuvenated midfielder now back at Manchester United as the 2021-22 campaign approaches.
A move to east London was made in January after the 28-year-old playmaker found himself out of favour at Old Trafford and in need of a change of scenery in order to rediscover a spark.
He achieved that with the Hammers, as nine goals were recorded through 16 games, and Lingard is now back in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's thoughts as he looks to make a positive impact again at United.
What has been said?
On finding the kind of form that many doubted he could produce again, Lingard told MUTV of his stint at West Ham: "It was a great time. It was like hitting the refresh button.
"I was always ready to hit the ground running and I was always fit and ready to play.
"I played every game since I got there and when you play a run of games like that you get a bit of confidence.
"Of course, the goals came and assists as well. West Ham were brilliant with me: the team, the staff, the club. They helped me get to where I am but it took a lot of hard work from my side as well."
The bigger picture
Lingard's renaissance earned him an England recall ahead of Euro 2020, although he was left out of Gareth Southgate's squad for the finals themselves.
That was a blow to the charismatic performer, but he proved plenty of points to those that had written him off.
On being welcomed back from the international wilderness, Lingard said: "At the time, it [one goal] was obviously to make the March internationals. Goals, assists, take-ons, shots. To be productive in each game and to keep that consistency.
"The consistency is definitely a main thing. When you’re playing regular football, you’ve got to keep that consistency and keep scoring, or try and affect the game in a different way if you don’t score or assist."
Lingard has been figuring for United in pre-season, suggesting that he may have a more prominent role to play under Solskjaer, but he does still face fierce competition for places from the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Donny van de Beek.
Further reading
- Solskjaer reveals when Sancho will join Man Utd training
- Fernandes picks out Man Utd youngsters for 'brilliant future'
- Solskjaer gives Man Utd transfer window update