Jesse Lingard, Ian Rush and Mark Hughes. Three men who have their names etched into English football history, yet one is still looking to fulfil his potential.
The trio have scored in FA Cup and League Cup finals as well as the Charity Shield. A unique stat that shows how Lingard has an appetite for the big occasion alongside some big names, who've enjoyed trophy-laden careers and claimed numerous individual accolades.
Now at Nottingham Forest, via a West Ham loan spell, the former Manchester United man has enjoyed some headline moments but has struggled to consistently produce. He scored in United's last domestic silverware, succes notching his side's second as they saw off Southampton.
That came shortly after his FA Cup winning volley against Crystal Palace and a strike in 2016/17's curtain raiser against then champions Leicester.
Lingard was just 24 when he scored in the League Cup final and appeared to be the next United academy man to cement himself in a successful side. Now, six years on, the Red Devils have struggled to build on that win, but the forward has equally failed to blossom as expected.
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Wembley moments
Lingard scored three times under the arch in less than a year as he wrote his name into the history books. His sweetly struck volley against Palace came after he'd been introduced as a substitute by Louis van Gaal, who would be sacked after the FA Cup success.
The Forest man would end up scoring the final goal of the Van Gaal tenure and the first goal of the Jose Mourinho era (he also scored the final goal of the Special One's tenure in a defeat at Liverpool). His solo effort against the Foxes was overshadowed by Zlatan Ibrahimovic's late winner, but he'd contributed to another piece of silverware nonetheless.
The Lingard-Ibra double act was, again, in tandem months later as they beat the Saints, who had battled back from 2-0 down before losing late on.
Overlooked, loaned out and snubbed
Lingard's club career seemingly peaked at Wembley. He had brief moments where he stood up as United threatened, but ultimately failed, to build on Mourinho's first year, which saw them claim three pieces of silverware.
The player fell out of favour under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Getty Images)It was the Special One's departure that would be the beginning of the end for Lingard, who never enjoyed the same status under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian utilised him initially, but he became increasingly marginalised with other options preferred.
In an effort to rediscover his form he headed to West Ham for the second half of the 2020/21 season and bagged a brace on his debut in a win over Aston Villa. The Hammers, who were then mounting a charge for European football, reaped the rewards of a Lingard flowing with confidence.
The versatile star would go on to score nine times in 16 outings "It’s just consistency behind my form I think," Lingard said on his renaissance. "Obviously I hadn’t played much for the past two years, so to be playing week-in, week-out and keeping up this form is great, but the team have helped me tremendously."
The forward enjoyed a sensational loan spell at West Ham (Getty Images)He would face the same problem once returning to Manchester with the Red Devils reluctant to let Lingard leave once they'd seen what he was capable of. But there didn't seem to be any clear pathway for him into the first-team though, especially after Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo were signed.
Solskjaer claimed Lingard had a "big role to play". That role consisted of zero starts in the 12 games before the Norwegian was sacked after a poor opening to the campaign. During that period Lingard, justifiably, turned down a new contract, with his current deal expiring that summer.
Forest frustrations
The England international eventually opted to join Premier League now boys Nottingham Forest, despite the potential to return to West Ham, who were keen on acquiring his services permanently last summer.
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Instead Forest made him the club's highest earner on a deal thought to be worth £115,000 per week plus incentives. It copped criticism from Gary Neville, who said: “The Lingard thing was just a one-year deal. It was almost like he was telling everybody, I don’t think these will stay up. Maybe, I’m wrong but I think that was a cold thing to do, you commit to a club for two years at least. It feels a bit clinical.
Jesse Lingard hasn't been able to hit the heights expected at Nottingham Forest (CameraSport via Getty Images)“They could have shaped it in a different way. It’s a transactional deal. It looks like he’s coming for that one-year deal and then he’s off again. This will not be viewed well if it goes wrong.”
And gone wrong it has. Whilst Steve Cooper's men could well avoid the drop, currently sitting in 13th, Lingard has by no means led their charge towards survival. The 30-year-old has played in 14 league games and is yet to score with his influence a far cry from what was expected.
It is now being reported that Forest could opt to let Lingard seek another employer once the summer comes around. A one year contract that looked to favour the player, could now work nicely for those at the City Ground.
Forest face West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday, in what will be a case of deja vu for Lingard, who must wonder what might've been had he not snubbed the Hammers. He must also think about what might have been had his career taken a different route after his Wembley heroics six years ago.
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