Varun Pai
Jesse Lingard could start for Manchester United against West Ham on Sunday
Speaking in the post-match press conference (h/t Express), Ole Gunnar Solskjaer dropped a hint that Jesse Lingard could start for Manchester United in the coming weekend.
The Red Devils recently lost their first UEFA Champions League group stage game against Young Boys, but the headlines were stolen by Jesse Lingard on the day and unfortunately, for the wrong reasons. The Old Trafford outfit were a man down after Aaron Wan-Bissaka was sent off after just over half an hour.
Thus, Solskjaer had to make certain adjustments to his side. Although the Manchester-based club eventually shifted to a back five, the Norwegian boss also brought off Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes after 70 minutes, and the duo was replaced by Nemanja Matic and Jesse Lingard.
The game was set to end 1-1, however, a poor back pass by Lingard in the last minute of added time led to Young Boys scoring the winner and taking all the three points home. While it would have been heart-breaking for the Englishman, his manager has defended him and also hinted that he could start on the weekend.
Solskjaer said in the post-match press conference (h/t Express):
“With Jesse, no footballer likes making mistakes, but it’s obviously part and parcel of the game. We’ll learn from it, he’ll learn from it. We’re humans, every footballer makes mistakes. He’ll pick himself up and be ready to go on Sunday against West Ham.”
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The 28-year-old winger has a lot of recent history with the Hammers as he had spent the second half of last season on loan at the East London club while they were also linked with the Englishman this summer.
Although a deal failed to materialize, David Moyes might have to prepare his side to face Lingard on Sunday, who recently scored his first goal of the league season against Newcastle United.
