Rio Ferdinand has suggested Jesse Lingard does not want to be at Manchester United and the club should have let him leave in the January transfer window.
Lingard is now in the final few months of his contract with the Red Devils and is set to become a free agent at the end of the season (TransferMarkt).
The 29-year-old was a wanted man throughout the winter window as a result, with Tottenham and Newcastle noted as clubs that were interested in offering him a route out of Old Trafford (Sky Sports).
However, neither side could secure a transfer for the midfielder, who succumbed to a stay at United for the rest of the term.
Lingard has been used in a bit-part role by interim manager Ralph Rangnick of late, and his latest cameo in the 4-1 defeat to rivals Manchester City did not impress former defender Ferdinand.
The ex-England international believes the midfielder does not want to be at the club, and United should have moved him on in January.
He said on Vibe with FIVE: “Jesse’s situation…he doesn’t want to be there. Simple as that. Loves Man United, but the situation has come out of the back of not getting a transfer, not getting the chance to go elsewhere and play games and start.
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“I believe he deserves an opportunity when he came up from West Ham. This team weren’t playing well enough to keep him out, I don’t think. There was no one you go, ‘Oh, they’re much better than Jesse’.
“What he’s done at West Ham, I think he warranted a chance of playing because the team weren’t pulling up crazy numbers.
“Are you going to play someone like him or just let him go, man.
“But there’s other stuff behind the scenes I’m sure that’s going on we don’t know about, so it’s hard for us to kind of judge it.”
Lingard has made 19 appearances in total this season including just one start in the Premier League scoring twice (Transfermarkt).
Fabrizio Romano revealed last month that people would have to keep an eye on Paratici and Spurs for a potential summer Lingard move (FIVE). He said: “And then we’ll keep an eye again on Tottenham because… Fabio Paratici, he loves to move on free agents and so could be an opportunity.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Lingard would have been a really solid option for Antonio Conte and you would have expected him to get back to form had a move to Tottenham materialised.
Unfortunately, he is not playing regularly enough to get his form back to where it once was which has made his position a pretty downbeat one at the moment.
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