Jesse Lingard played a major role in the Ole Gunnar Solskajer era of Manchester United football, but only at the very beginning. When Solskjaer first took over, on an interim basis, the England international was a part of the plan, but he’s since fallen out of favor.
Featuring only three times this season, and in cup competition only, he’s longing to leave, and Solskjaer has approved a loan move away, according to ESPN.
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It is now reportedly up to the board to make a decision on Lingard’s fate, and that should come in the next few days, as the January transfer window will close in exactly one week. But where could he be headed? According to the ESPN FC article:
“Despite significant interest from abroad, Lingard, 28, is keen to stay in the Premier League and Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion are among a host of suitors.”
However, the Mail On Sunday tells a very different story. According to their report, Solskjaer won’t decide on Lingard’s future until after the Liverpool clash, which kicks off in a little bit over an hour.
With his one year club option extended, Lingard is now currently contracted to Old Trafford until the end of next season.
While he’s scored 33 times in 210 appearances with the club, he’s certainly had his fair share of ups and downs, and lately it’s been nearly all down.
He is infamously synonymous with a domestic goal scoring drought that lasted over a full calendar year, and he’s yet to start a Premier League game this season. On the plus side, he’s also the only the very last goal scorer of the Louis van Gaal era, and the very first of the Jose Mourinho regime. No one else can say that.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.