Seeing Jesse Lingard back to not only playing, but scoring in the Premier League last night was an extremely welcome sight.
The 28-year-old has gone through an incredibly tough period on and off the pitch over the last year, and a fresh start is hopefully just what he needs to kick on.
Lingard made the perfect start to life at West Ham, scoring twice in their 3-1 victory over Aston Villa and putting in an all-round impressive performance.
After scoring his first, the combination of relief and joy was plain to see in his celebrations. The same could be said about his post-game interview with BT Sport, where Lingard just looked over the moon to be playing football again.
"The team has been great with me, I've settled in quickly."
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 3, 2021
"I was smiling before the game, during the game, I just love football."
Jesse Lingard is clearly loving being back playing football at West Ham ⚒
? @ReshminTV pic.twitter.com/yBgI780gt8
“The team have been great with me, I have settled in fairly quickly and some familiar faces help.
“In training we have that connection and built it up fairly quickly. On matchday it is fairly easy to play with Michail [Antonio] and Declan [Rice]. As a team and as a collective we worked to get the points.
“I started tonight, scored two goals and got three points. I was smiling before the game and during, I just love football and enjoy playing football.
Jesse Lingard announces his arrival at West Ham with a debut goal ⚒
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 3, 2021
You can see from the celebrations that one means a lot to him! pic.twitter.com/wXSR4NwvpB
“It has been a long time, I have come here to get game time and scored two goals but like I said, three points is the most important!”
West Ham take on Fulham next in the Premier League, before heading to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the FA Cup 5th round.
Now fifth in the table, and with four wins in their last five, could West Ham maintain their strong form and find themselves in a European spot come the end of the season?
Featured image credit: BT Spot