Jesse Lingard has been granted his wish to leave Old Trafford on loan after a frustrating few months on the sidelines.
According to ESPN, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was initially reluctant to let Lingard leave ahead of a busy second half of the season but has now accepted that the midfielder needs the chance to play regularly.
So far Lingard, who turned 28 last month, has failed to make a single appearance in the Premier League for Manchester United, acting as an unused substitute on just four occasions.
His only game time has come in the League Cup and the FA Cup, but he was once more left out of the squad for yesterday’s fourth-round win over Liverpool.
Although there is interest from abroad, Lingard is believed to prefer to stay in England, with several Premier League clubs keen to sign him.
Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United are all monitoring Lingard’s situation closely with the transfer deadline just a week away.
The energetic Lingard was a favourite of Spurs boss Jose Mourinho during his spell in charge of United, but drifted out of contention under Ole Gunnar Solksjaer last season.
He played just twice after the restart, coming off the bench to score his only league goal on the final day against Leicester City, in a 2-0 win that secured United’s qualification for the Champions League.
Lingard starred for England during their run to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018 but his career has stagnated since then.
The last of his 24 international caps came against Switzerland in June 2019, with several younger players moving ahead of him in the pecking order for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad.
Lingard knows that he needs to prove himself again after a spell in the wilderness, and a loan move would be the ideal solution.
His contract was recently extended by a year to preventing him leaving on a free transfer this summer but his time at United seems to be approaching the end.
