Roy Keane wasn’t particularly impressed with Jesse Lingard’s celebration on Sunday – but did give the West Ham midfielder some credit after his brace against Leicester.
Lingard has been in fine form since joining the Hammers on loan from Manchester United, scoring eight goals in nine league appearances. He has also contributed three assists.
He helped put Leicester to the sword with two first-half goals in an eventual 3-2 victory.
His first goal was scored with precision. Lingard met Vladimir Coufal’s cross on the volley, curling the ball neatly into the bottom right corner.
His second was a tap-in following Jarrod Bowen’s pass across from the right flank.
And the 28-year-old wasn’t afraid to bring out some new dance moves in celebration.
Keane going soft?
Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane didn’t rank Lingard’s moves too highly, but did credit the midfielder for the goals he scored.
When asked to rate the celebration out of 10, he replied: “One.
He then added: “I used to do this dance before, usually after a Bacardi and Coke.
“When he scores goals like that then I suppose I have to give him a bit of credit.”
Keane also praised Lingard’s impact at West Ham, and said it is great to see him performing at such a high level.
The 28-year-old came through the Manchester United academy, and established himself as a first-team regular before struggling in the last couple of years.
His most successful campaign was in 2017/18, where he scored eight goals in 33 league appearances for United and a total of 13 goals in all competitions.
Lingard now needs just one goal to make the current season his best in terms of league goals scored – made all the more impressive by the fact he didn’t make a Premier League appearance until January.
Keane said: “What I’d give Jesse credit for [is] he’s turned up at West Ham, having not played much football at United over the last few months, so he’s obviously kept himself in good shape, sign of a good pro.
“He had a difficult spell at United, maybe took his eye off the ball off the field.
“He was always a talented boy but he looks focused, he looks hungry, he always had that talent and it’s great to see it.”
West Ham’s 3-2 victory returned them to fourth place in the Premier League. David Moyes’s side are a point ahead of fifth-placed Chelsea with seven games to play.
The Hammers are next in action on Saturday when they travel to Newcastle United.
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