The Hammers signed Lingard on loan from Manchester United in the winter transfer window and the England international made an instant impact at the Hammers.
His goals and assists powered a West Ham side that barely survived in the Premier League in the previous campaign to the heights of qualifying for Europa League football.
Lingard was struggling to get minutes at Manchester United in the first half of the season and Pearce conceded that he was personally surprised to see how quickly Lingard made an impact once he arrived at the London Stadium.
He admitted that the player deserved credit for what he did at West Ham, but believes Moyes also deserves plaudits for creating the kind of environment at the club that allowed Lingard to thrive.
Pearce said on talkSPORT: “He had not been playing for a little while at United and he was out of the scene.
“But listen, the class is always there and he is a classy player, he understands the game very well.
“We were probably a little bit surprised and certainly, from a personal point of view, I was surprised how quickly he hit the ground running.
“Almost immediately, he had an impact on our side and physically he is a fantastic athlete but he hit the side running.
“A lot of credit needs to go to the player but certainly to David.
“He got him playing in a position at West Ham that really suits him.
“He thrived on being around the environment that David created there.”
West Ham want to sign Lingard on a permanent deal this summer but there are suggestions that the Manchester United star has other offers on his table as well.
