‘Disappointed’: Gary Neville delivers blunt Lingard verdict despite West Ham rumours

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Gary Neville told Sky Sports News (01/09/21 at 9:10 am) that he is ‘disappointed’ that Jesse Lingard didn’t leave Manchester United during the summer transfer window despite interest from West Ham.

After a goal-crazy six-month spell in West Ham colours last season, many felt that Lingard would leave Manchester United this summer and look to continue his surge back towards the top.

Prior to Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho’s arrival at Old Trafford, Lingard was struggling to break into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s XI, so life has become that more difficult now that the duo have arrived.

West Ham fans were waiting whether their club would go back in for Lingard, with Everton considering a late bid, but in the end, nothing happened during the recently-concluded summer transfer window.

And Neville was pretty blunt in his thoughts on Lingard staying at his boyhood club and not going out to enhance his career.

“I think Jesse Lingard, I am disappointed that he hasn’t left Manchester United,” said Neville.

“He will get a few games. He will get moments on the pitch. And he will contribute.

“But I think he had something going at West Ham last year that meant that Lingard, in his own right, was standing up as a really good player. I think to go back in as a squad player is disappointing.

“I think you sometimes need to fire the nest and go. I thought he had already done that, with what he did last year, so I think there are two or three players that won’t get a lot of game time and they should have joined Dan James by furthering their careers and got more football.”

The problem that faces Lingard is that he doesn’t want to lose that all-important England place.

Even with his performances at the London Stadium last season, he still couldn’t break into England’s growing talent in the attacking third for Euro 2020.

So, if he struggles for minutes during these next few months, then he might just find that he loses his place under Gareth Southgate altogether.

But to balance the argument, if he is handed the minutes, and thrives, then it will perhaps push him through that barrier he was unable to breach in the summer.