Big upgrade on Vlasic, imagine him and Bowen: West Ham eye "phenomenal" £18m-rated gem - opinion

West Ham United are keeping tabs on Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard after he impressed on loan last season for the Hammers.

Lingard has featured just 10 times this campaign for in league proceedings for the Red Devils, with his spot being occupied by Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes.

Lingard was instrumental to West Ham’s success in the second half of last season, after he netted nine times and registered five assists in 16 league games.

Upgrade on Vlasic?

Similar to Lingard’s time at United in recent times, Nikola Vlasic has struggled to get a run of games in the Premier League and has featured just 11 times, scoring only once.

Reports have suggested that David Moyes has a ‘lack of trust’ in summer signing Nikola Vlasic after his reluctance to bring him off the bench and opting for Manuel Lanzini instead, according to Caught Offside.

Although this could be deemed harsh on the 24-year-old as he hasn’t been given a chance to show his true worth since moving to England, there must be something Moyes doesn’t like about the Croatian.

If a deal was to be agreed for Lingard in the summer, then this would certainly be deemed as an upgrade.

Lingard was a mainstay with immediate effect at West Ham and has showcased his talents already, meaning Moyes can trust him straight away and implement him in the side. Whereas, there are still question marks over Vlasic’s quality, albeit he hasn’t had the greatest opportunity to showcase his talents.

Lingard & Bowen partnership?

Last term, it was clear that Jesse Lingard fit into the West Ham side exquisitely and formed partnerships with those in the front line.

And the immense form that Bowen has picked up this campaign, with murmurs of an England call up on the cards, the chemistry between the