Rijo Sam Daniel
Manchester United always wanted Jesse Lingard to stay past this January transfer window
According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United always had plans for Jesse Lingard to stay at Old Trafford past this January transfer window. This piece of information is a bit of a surprise, to say the least since there were no indications of it throughout this season.
Lingard had once again expressed his desire to Ralf Rangnick that he wanted to leave Man United in January. Their direct conversation was amidst interest from Newcastle United and West Ham United for a potential move. However, the club decided to keep hold of him, much to the disappointment of the player.
The Red Devils swept away attempts from Newcastle due to their stance on the 24-year-old. Now, it is stated that the plan was for him to stay put since he is in line to gain more prominence moving forward. His current contract will expire at the end of this season, but that did not deter them from making this decision.
Puzzling
This certainly comes as a surprise considering Lingard has barely started league games for us this season. If they had plans for the Englishman from the beginning, one would wonder if it was revealed to the player beforehand. But then, the debacle surrounding his transfer saga this month begs us to wonder if the club and the player have been on the same page.
It also remains to be seen if the club actually lives up to the promise it seems to be making. Donny van de Beek’s situation is one such example where things have turned out to be far from what was initially planned.
The England international also had a similar “promise” following his impressive loan spell with West Ham, but since then, he hardly had a string of starts under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and now, Rangnick. And so, it will be interesting to see how this situation pans out in the coming months.
The board could be in line for criticism from the fans if they do not see the plans in fruition on the pitch in the coming months. One cannot blame them either since this was the last opportunity to cash in on the attacking midfielder as he is expected to leave on a free transfer next summer.
Rejecting the Hammers would have made sense, but the same cannot be said for the interest from the Toons. After all, they are battling to survive from the drop zone and pose no immediate threat to us this season. It remains to be seen whether the England star has a key role in our team, but we hope to see such a scenario moving forward.
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If that doesn’t happen, it would surely be a baffling decision as to why we are choosing to dish out £100,000-a-week to a player we aren’t even using on the pitch.
