Jesse Lingard has his eyes set on Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad

Jesse Lingard is in line to make his Nottingham Forest debut against city rivals Notts County on Tuesday after his move to the newly promoted club.

The former Manchester United midfielder became the highest-paid player in the club’s history when he joined Forest on a one-year deal, despite interest from West Ham where he had a successful loan spell in 2020-21.

Forest had considered adding Lingard to their squad for Saturday's friendly at Hertha Berlin, but it is believed the 29-year-old has stayed in the UK to work on his sharpness as he focuses on the start of the Premier League season.

Lingard’s basic wage is thought to be about £115,000 a week, but the overall package will be significantly higher if certain objectives are met. 

Miltiadis Marinakis, son of Forest owner Evangelos, is thought to have played an influential role in securing the deal for Lingard.

The midfielder was a key man for England as they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup four years ago, and he has not given up hope of regaining his place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for this winter’s tournament in Qatar.

Forest had already caught the eye by spending more than £70million on nine new players, but signing Lingard takes their summer spending to a completely different level. Where other promoted clubs spend little and bank the television money, Forest have pushed the boat out. 

Within moments of announcing the signing, Forest were milking it on social media, devoting the banner on their Twitter page to an image of Lingard in his new colours.

 The 29-year-old also released a typically flamboyant video on his own social media channels to mark the occasion.