Jesse Lingard has been told by Steve Cooper to ‘concentrate on the football’ when he makes his first Old Trafford return next week.
The 30-year-old, who came through the academy at Manchester United, joined Nottingham Forest in the summer after his contract expired.
Lingard joined the Red Devils at the age of seven in 2000, and went on to score 35 goals in 232 games for his boyhood club in all competitions.
He scored in both the 2016 FA Cup and 2017 League Cup final victories, while also winning the Europa League.
But his time at the Theatre of Dreams was marred by inconsistency, with the attacking midfielder struggling for game time in recent years.
The 32-cap England international has since become a key player at Forest, where he has chipped in with two goals and as many assists in 15 games.
And he is now preparing to play at United for the first time as an opposing player when the Reds face Erik ten Hag’s side on December 27.
Boss Cooper has revealed he understands it may be an emotional time for the ex-West Ham loanee, but has told him to just focus on the football.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, he said: “I hope we’re all motivated to go to Old Trafford and play well.
“But with Jesse, he was there a long time, including his upbringing in a football sense, so it will be an important day for him.
“At the same time he and everybody else need to focus on what we are in control of and that is the performance.
“Whatever team we decide to go with, the guys that start the game and the guys that finish the game have to concentrate on what it takes to do well on the day.
“Jesse has experience, he’s played in big occasions before.
“He’ll know that the best thing to do is to concentrate on the football.
“If he’s selected to play that’s what he needs to do.”
Forest travel to United siting in the bottom three, though they went into the international break on the back of a win after beating Crystal Palace 1-0.
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