Krishnan Sreekumar
Fabrizio Romano gives update on Manchester United stars Edinson Cavani and Jesse Lingard after Erik ten Hag news
According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Manchester United stars Jesse Lingard and Edinson Cavani are still expected to depart the club in the summer despite the potential arrival of Erik ten Hag as the new manager.
Both Cavani and Lingard are into the final six months of their deals with the Red Devils, and as things stand, both stand to become free agents at the end of the season. Thus far, there have been no updates from either the club or the players about renewing their contracts beyond the summer.
United currently sit seventh in the league table, unable to recover from the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the dismal run under Ralf Rangnick. However, a new manager is expected to come to the Theatre of Dreams next season to change things around in Manchester and bring back the glory days.
ten Hag is widely expected to be offered the vacant role at Old Trafford ahead of the new season, given the brilliant work he has been doing at Ajax over the past few years. The Dutchman has won back-to-back Eredivisie titles as well as a couple of domestic cup competitions.
Cavani and Lingard impact by ten Hag arrival
With a new manager coming in during the summer, the incoming head coach is likely to assess his available options in the squad before taking decisions on his preferred starting lineup. However, ten Hag is likely to suffer a blow in the form of Cavani’s expected departure at the end of the campaign.
The Uruguayan will become a free agent in the coming weeks when his current deal runs out, with the player looking at La Liga as an option. Along with him, academy product Lingard may also walk out the door, with Romano saying that the Englishman was exploring and considering options on a free transfer.
Both these players have not seen much action this term under Solskjaer or Rangnick. While Cavani has been dealing with injury issues that have made him unavailable for most games, Lingard has been relegated to the bench due to the competition in the squad from other stars.
We signed Cavani from Paris Saint-Germain for free in 2020, with the 35-year-old proving to be an effective addition in his first season in Manchester as he regularly provided the goals when called upon. However, his second season has not gone according to plan, with injuries playing their part.
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Lingard meanwhile, has been reduced to a substitute role in the team over the past few years, mainly due to the presence of Bruno Fernandes in the team. The 29-year-old has had to deal with playing understudy to Fernandes, who is firmly established in the first team as the creative outlet.
Despite a serial winner in ten Hag potentially arriving in the summer to try and usher in a new era of success at United, the 52-year-old may likely be unable to call upon the services of Cavani and Lingard in order to achieve his task. It remains to be seen if either player has a change of heart in the coming weeks, closer to the expiry of their current contracts.
