With his contract set to expire, Jesse Lingard has decided to leave Manchester United this summer regardless of any plans the club or Erik ten Hag may have for him at Old Trafford, according to numerous reports.
There has been a lot of talk about the way United have been treating Lingard lately, even an open outcry from his brother via social media. It seems the 29-year-old forward has had enough, and even if Ten Hag, the newly appointed manager set to take charge of the team in the summer, wants him there, he’s still leaving.
Apparently, Lingard feels he has not been shown the respect he deserves, and he was most unhappy about being left an unused substitute in the 3-0 win over Brentford, United’s last home game of the season. Nemanja Matic and Juan Mata, both set to leave the club as well, were named to start, while Edinson Cavani, who also won’t be there next season, was introduced off the bench.
Lingard is a product of the academy at United. Having had loan spells with the likes of Leicester City, Birmingham, Brighton and Hove Albion and Derby County, he was given a shot in the first team from 2015, but he never managed to grow into the player his talent had announced. In January 2021, he went to West Ham on a half-season loan and did perhaps surprisingly well, so that the Hammers tried (but obviously failed) to make the deal permanent the following summer.
West Ham remain credited with interest in his signature, but the list also contains clubs like AS Roma, AC Milan, Juventus and Newcastle.
