As Manchester United prepare for an FA Cup encounter on Friday night, much talk has centered this week around Jesse Lingard.
The 29-year-old was the subject of plenty of transfer speculation in the January transfer window. Despite the rumours, he will remain at Old Trafford for the time being.
Lingard's contract expires in the summer so it would have been the last chance for Man United to get any value from him. No movement was made despite several approaches.
The Athletic report that interim boss Ralf Rangnick told Lingard "he could leave Old Trafford on two separate occasions in the January window."
The attacking midfielder didn't appear to be part of the German coach's plans going forward. But late into the window, the Man United board blocked a potential move.
Lingard, according to The Athletic, had agreed on a loan move to Newcastle United until the end of the season. It would have been in a similar vein to his time at West Ham last season.
🗣 "This is an absolute mess. Perhaps Man United are now seeing the repercussions and it's pretty ugly."@David_Ornstein On Manchester United blocking Jesse Lingard's transfer from the club in January pic.twitter.com/JaB7boB1Qo
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 4, 2022
While the timeline and the move to another Premier League club aligned, the opportunity to play regular football before negotiating a new contract in the summer was unique.
The 32-time England international only increased his transfer value at West Ham and would have hoped to carry out the same goodwill at St James' Park.
Many believe that the impending legal case involving Mason Greenwood could have influenced the Man United board in retaining one of their attacking options.
But in an active transfer window, where the likes of Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek moved for more game time, Lingard wasn't given the same treatment.
Here's more from Stuart James and Adam Leventhal of The Athletic:
It would be fair to say that there is deep scepticism on Lingard’s part about the idea that he is a valued member of the squad (something that club officials told him), bearing in mind that he has been a bit-part player all season and last started a Premier League game for Manchester United on New Year’s Day in 2020. The fact that other high-profile fringe players have been allowed to leave in January — Anthony Martial and Donny van de Beek in particular — has left Lingard’s camp thinking that there is something more personal about the way the club has treated him. In short, that it is linked to his decision not to sign a new deal with the club.
It puts Lingard in a precarious position and Rangnick was quizzed on his role in the team going forward at a press conference on Thursday. He's taken some time off to 'clear up his mind.'
"Jesse asked me and the club if he could have a couple of days off just to clear up his mind," Rangnick said. "He will be back in the group I suppose next Monday and part of the squad again."
The Man United midfielder tweeted that he'd been advised by the club to leave for 'personal reasons' and that he will 'give 100 percent' when he makes a return.
It looks increasingly unlikely Lingard will be retained at Old Trafford in the summer when his contract expires. That will only be fueled if he continues to see a lack of minutes on the pitch.
See Also: David De Gea's Player Of The Month Awards Are Not Good News For Manchester United
