Stuart Pearce delivers Jesse Lingard verdict amid Nottingham Forest transfer interest

Nottingham Forest legend Stuart Pearce says Jesse Lingard is "fantastic" to work with.

Former Manchester United star Lingard is reportedly "close" to to reaching an agreement over a move to the City Ground on a free transfer. The England international ended his 11-year connection with the Red Devils this summer following the expiration of his contract.

Having previously been on loan at West Ham, the London-based side are also monitoring his situation. Pearce, who coached him at the London Stadium, spoke highly of the 29-year-old on July 20, 2022 " rel="Follow" target="_self">talkSPORT.

"Speaking from experience of working with Jesse [Lingard], he’s a fantastic kid to work with," he said. "Physically he’s very good.

"He hadn’t played much football when he came to West Ham and he was one of the fittest in the group when he arrived.

"He’s a great kid to work with, he was wonderful for West Ham and I’m just a little bit disappointed that he didn’t say to himself, ‘I need to get myself back to West Ham’, because he seemed to be really enjoying football at West Ham, enjoyed the environment, the people around him, he's a good boy."