What is football coming to when players continue to consistently not celebrate if they happen to score against their old clubs.
The most recent example came on Sunday, when Jesse Lingard fired an Exocet into the top corner at the London Stadium to silence the West Ham supporters who gave him a rousing reception before the game and when he came on as a second-half substitute.
It was a wonder goal. The type where, when you see the net ripple, you take temporary leave of your senses.
And yet, it appeared that Lingard’s first thought was to say sorry to the east London faithful.
It’s a worrying trend that appears to be steeped in some sort of political correctness. Thankfully, Luis Suarez bucked that trend when opening the scoring against Liverpool in the Champions League back in 2019.
You have to ask what is going through a player’s head when they feel that they’re unable to release the most primal and natural emotions when scoring.
Pandering to those who take umbrage at such gestures is sending completely the wrong message, and it has to be addressed.