In the case of Jesse Lingard, the midfielder’s future seemed to be away from Old Trafford, but things have changed according to The Sun. Lingard, who was denied a deadline move to West Ham United and Newcastle United, hit back on Twitter over requesting a few days off to manager Ralf Rangnick.

Lingard tweeted, “The club advised me to have time off due to personal reasons! But my headspace is clear and I’ll always be professional when called upon and give 100 percent.” The response comes after Rangnick stated in a press conference, “Jesse asked if we could give him a couple of days off to clear his mind. He will be back in training on Monday and part of the whole squad.”

Why is Jesse Lingard staying at Manchester United?

Despite the rift between player and manager it would seem that Jesse Lingard is not going anywhere at least until after June when his contract ends. Lingard had his deadline moves all rejected once Mason Greenwood was arrested, “We had a problem with Mason Greenwood and being without a player for the time being who has played in recent weeks and, together with the club not finding an agreement with another club, this is why [Lingard] stayed,” Rangnick said.

How things will work out between Lingard and Rangnick now after the player hit back on Twitter remains to be seen, what is known is that the midfielder is not going anywhere at the moment. Lingard has played only 273 minutes since returning to Manchester United.

However, their start to the campaignleft a lot to be desired. United dropped points early in the tournament and they didn’t get off to a great start to the UEFA Champions League either. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has beenin the eye of the storm, although he still has the support of the board.

But that won’t last longif his side doesn’t turn things around soon, of course. Because, at the end of the day, all they care about is results. And the club has made a huge investment to get back to the top this season. So, Solskjaer might make tough decisions in order to do what’s best for the team and keep his job.

Five Manchester United players who Solskjaer would let leave

Solskjaer knew this season would be crucial for his future at Manchester United as he failed to bring silverware in the past two campaigns. Now, United really look like a title-contending team – so he must prove if he can live up to the expectations.

As he is under pressure to get results, the Swedish manager is reportedly considering letting five players leave come January. According to The Sun, these are the five names who could see the way out in winter: Donny Van de Beek, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Victor Lindelof, and Phil Jones.

The list makes sense as none of them are regular starters for Ole and some of them have been heavily linked with a move away in the near future. Van de Beek has failed to impress after a sensational move from Ajax, while Martial lost his place with Ronaldo’s arrival, and Lingard is also understood to be looking for a transfer.

Upon his return playing time has been hard to come by and is one of the reasons the midfielder rejected Manchester United’s latest contract offer. Now at the end of the season Jesse Lingard could leave on a free transfer.

The Sun is reporting that Jesse Lingard has attracted the attention of two European powerhouses in Barcelona and AC Milan. Here are Jesse Lingard’s chances to join those clubs.

Barcelona

Barcelona is in severe debt and will be willing to pounce on a free transfer of a qualified player like Jesse Lingard, who will be looking for playing time. Lingard can bring his experience to a very young side and possibly earn first team minutes more often at the Camp Nou.

AC Milan

AC Milan are back, slowly the red and black have returned to their old winning ways. Jesse Lingard would be a good fit for AC Milan, but that team has been set in stone and playing time might not be as “easy” as in Barcelona. Nonetheless AC Milan is on an upward curve and Jesse Lingard could be a good piece moving forward.

Lingard, who has spent 11 seasons tied to Manchester United, has had 5 loan spells during that time and it was his stint at West Ham that showed that he had the chops to play for the Red Devils. In total Lingard has played 136 games and scored 20 goals for United. His form at West Ham got him on the England squad and it could be in danger going forward if he is only a bit player at Manchester United.

Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that Lingard was “unhappy” with his lack of playing time stating, “Jesse is unhappy at not playing more. But you come on and make an impact. That’s what you do when you’re a sub at this level”. It is still questionable if Lingard himself likes the idea of being a “super sub”.

Jesse Lingard transfer rumors

While Jesse Lingard has certainly made a name for himself with his loan spell at West Ham and on the English national team, he is well aware that he needs to be at a place where he can showcase his talents. At the numbers level 2 goals in 3 appearances with limited minutes can only add to his value.

90 min reports that Lingard is going to wait until January of next year to determine if he will stay with Manchester United or move on in search of more playing time. Lingard is certainly a player that any team in the Premier League can use, it’s a matter of the right fit and playing time for the English international.

But instead of bringing in more reinforcements, it seems like the Red Devils could actually lose some firepower, as recent reports claim that Jesse Lingard is ready to leave the club unless he’s promised more playing time.

“Jesse Lingard will look to leave Manchester United before the transfer window closes unless he believes he is going to play regularly in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team this season. Lingard, the 28-year-old attacking midfielder, was one of United’s best players in pre-season, scoring against QPR and impressing against Derby County,” reported The Times. “The England international wants to play regularly, and the 28-year-old does not think that he can do that in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team,” adds HITC.

Report: Jesse Lingard To Leave Manchester United, 2 EPL Teams Are Interested

So, with United having a bit of a logjam up front and Lingard falling behind in Solskjaer’s pecking order, there are a couple of EPL clubs that are interested in bringing in the versatile playmaker.

Everton

Everton gave newly-appointed boss Rafa Benítez a green light to spend and bring in some reinforcements to compete with the top-notch clubs in the EPL. Lingard can play behind the striker or as a winger and that kind of versatility would grant him plenty of minutes with the Toffees.

West Ham

West Ham United, on the other hand, would be a more realistic scenario though, as he spent the second half of last season there and scored 9 goals with 4 assists in 16 caps for The Hammers. However, HITC reports that they’re unlikely to meet Manchester United’s£25 million fee for his services.

Back in 2019, Lingard’s form dropped dramatically at Manchester United and eventually he was removed from the match day squad at the red devils. Why his formed had dipped so much was analyzed by pundits and fans, but it was more than just a dip in form, something much more serious was happening in the life of Jesse Lingard.

On a recent Television show, Lingard shed some light on what was happening to him personally back then, and it had nothing to do with just not properly kicking a ball, it had to do with something close to home, his mother. Lingard’s mother had been battling depression and it was a difficult time for the young soccer player.

Jesse Lingard on his mother’s depression

On the show Lingard stated that it took him a very long time to come to grips with what has happening to his mother, “When you’re young, seeing your mum going through something like that, you don’t understand it logically, you don’t know what she’s going through… She’d say, ‘I’m depressed, I’m depressed’ but me, as a kid, you don’t know what that means.”

Lingard admitted that the situation took a huge toll on his career as he could not concentrate on soccer and his level of play quickly dropped. “It feels like you’re not the same person, I feel like I wasn’t Jesse Lingard. Even in football matches, I felt like the game was just passing me by, like I just didn’t want to be there – it was crazy.”

Lingard’s own mental health began to take a hit when he realized that he was satisfied playing on the bench. “I was going into games happy sitting on the bench and that’s not me. My mind wasn’t there, I wasn’t focused at all. I was thinking about other things and obviously bottling it all up trying to play football, you’re tense, you’re stressed, and you can’t do it.”

Lingard summoned the courage to tell the people at Manchester United what was happening to his mother and the club provided care for him and his mother during that difficult stretch.

When the Premier League was paused due to the Covid-19 pandemic it helped both Lingard and his mother, “Lockdown has kind of transitioned me in a way. I watch my old games back and watch the World Cup games back and the old games I used to play and I think, ‘Yeah, that’s the real Jesse Lingard’. The time that I had going a couple seasons back or last season, it just wasn’t me at all and you can see that… When I finally opened up and everyone understood it was like, ‘Oh that’s why’, so now it’s just me getting my head back together, football and helping my mum and I don’t really have time for anything else really.”

Now at West Ham United Lingard has turned his career around and wants to inspire others, “That’s why I did open up, I want to change people’s lives and inspire others to start opening up, cause I’ve been through it and I know what it’s like to bottle things up, so if I can pass on the information to anyone who’s going through mental health issues, it’ll make me smile.”