Why it’s time for Manchester United to let go of Jesse Lingard
According to Mirror, Jesse Lingard could be on his way out of Manchester United. The academy graduate is in the last year of his contract but Manchester United are very likely to trigger the one-year extension so as to receive some fees for him. He has been out of the first-team picture for a while now but there does look like there is interest in him from clubs like Celtic, Rangers and even Aston Villa.
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Jesse Lingard started his youth career at United back in 2000. Over the next decade, he progressed through the youth ranks. In 2012, he was promoted to the senior side but was sent on loan during the same season to Leicester City.
Three more loan spells followed in the next two seasons, at Birmingham City, Brighton, and Derby County. It was not until 2015 that Lingard managed to make a place for himself in the squad. Under Jose Mourinho, he had his best spell as a Manchester United player.
However, he has been reduced to a squad option once Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over. Since then, he has found game time hard to come by and his form went for a toss. The academy graduate has made over 200 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 33 goals and 20 assists (source – Transfermarkt).
Lingard has been a regular for the England side but has fallen out of contention in recent times. He has played 24 games and scored 4 goals for the Three Lions.
It’s time for Manchester United to part ways with Jesse Lingard
While Jesse Lingard was never the brightest of talents to emerge from the academy, he did manage to make a place for himself at the club through hard work. His career reached its crescendo in 2018 when he managed to score 13 and assist 6. Those performances got him a ticket to the 2018 FIFA World Cup too.
Over the last one and a half seasons or so, Lingard has drastically fallen behind his teammates. New academy players like Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams have all been thrust into the team and are pretty much involved on a weekly basis. Even new recruits such as Cavani have been strutting their stuff at Old Trafford while there remains no sign of Lingard.
This season, Lingard has just been given two games in the EFL Cup and that’s it. Honestly, things don’t look too bright for the 27-year-old, with the club relatively stocked in positions he plays in.
The likes of Rashford, Martial, Cavani, Dan James and Greenwood occupy the forward positions while Fernandes, Van de Beek and even Juan Mata have been trusted to play in the number 10 role.
Let’s not forget the fact that Amad Diallo will join the club in January and Facundo Pellistri has already been called up to the first team on a few occasions.
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Everything points to an exit from his boyhood club. It is clear that there is no place for him at the club anymore and while they are likely to extend his stay by one year, it is only to receive a fee, rather than losing him for free. Jesse Lingard looks like he has reached the end of the road at Old Trafford and a move away should be the next step.