Man Utd star destroyed by pundit and told to leave after being left ‘in no man’s land’
Jesse Lingard has been told he’s made a big mistake staying at Manchester United this summer and has been left in “no man’s land” over his decision to stay at Old Trafford.
West Ham chased the permanent signature of Lingard for much of the summer window. After a stellar loan stint brought the best out of the 28-year-old, many believed a permanent exit would soon follow.
But despite the Hammers’ sustained interest, a deal was ultimately not made with a number of theories behind that failure.
That decision to stay could ultimately backfire for Lingard. He looks a long way down the pecking order with Bruno Fernandes an obvious obstacle. Furthermore, the capture of Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have further blocked his path.
Lingard served a reminder though of his talents on Sunday with two goals in England’s 4-0 win over Andorra. The midfielder made the most of a rare start for his country by netting twice – and was unfortunate not to grab a hat-trick.
After the game, Lingard explained his Ronaldo-themed celebration. The act also appears to underline his loyalty to the Red Devils.
However, pundit Roy Keane has explained why he thinks Lingard has made a big mistake staying at Old Trafford.
Speaking to ITV, he fears the 28-year-old will be left to rue the decision.
When asked if Lingard was in “no man’s land” at Man Utd, Keane said: “That’s the exactly the words I would use. It’s been difficult, you thought he’d get a move.
“But he’s got to get his head down at Man United. Gareth [Southgate] obviously likes him, he’s had him in the squad a couple of times.
“It’s another opportunity for Jesse to get 90 minutes under his belt and maybe score a goal because he’s a good player, he just needs to play regularly.”
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Lingard explains Ronaldo celebration
Meanwhile, Lingard has explained his thinking after celebrating England’s opener on Sunday by mimicking Ronaldo’s celebaration.
Lingard said he and Mason Mount had arranged to perform Ronaldo’s iconic ‘Siu’ celebration if he managed to net.
“Me and Mason were thinking about celebrations this week and obviously we mixed my celebration with Cristiano’s and I said I’d do it if I scored,” he said, via Metro.
“It’s a little welcoming gift for him. He’ll settle in very quickly and it will help the team tremendously this season.”
Speaking about his start at Wembley, Lingard added: “It feels amazing. It’s always amazing to put on an England shirt but to score and do well for your country is perfect.
“I thought the lads played well today, it was a professional performance and we go again against Poland.
“It’s always a great feeling scoring for your country. They’re the moments you don’t forget and, of course, my team-mates helped me today with that.
“We had to come into this game with professionalism. And we knew what Andorra were about, we knew they were going to sit back – sometimes press and sometimes sit back in a low block.
“We were patient throughout the game and we managed to move the ball very quickly and find opportunities to break through the defence and score the goals that we did.”
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