Why Mauricio Pochettino should make a bold loan bid for Jesse Lingard

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Tottenham Hotspur need pacy wingers and the Manchester United player could be set for a frustrating season at Old Trafford.

Last season saw Jesse Lingard finally break through at Manchester United, as the winger made 40 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and providing four assists in the process.

His most memorable strike was against Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, and at 23 he will no doubt be hoping it is the start of a wonderful career in the United first-team.

The problem is Jose Mourinho’s arrival as manager could shake things up, with Henrik Mkhitaryan widely expected to complete his move to Old Trafford in the coming days and the Portuguese boss a huge fan of the previously overlooked Adnan Januzaj.

Mkhitaryan will be United’s undisputed right winger, especially now the prospect of playing as a number 10 has seemingly been ruled out given Mourinho’s recent comments regarding Wayne Rooney.

When you factor in what Mourinho said about Januzaj back in 2014, claiming the then-18-year-old Januzaj was playing like he was 25 (as reported by the Daily Mail), it seems highly likely he will give the Belgian international the chance to rediscover the form that made him David Moyes’ unlikely hero.

And then of course there is the presence of the industrious, Mourinho-friendly Antonio Valencia.

With all that to consider, Lingard could struggle for matches, and with Tottenham in desperate need of more pace and attacking threat from wide areas he would be a superb loan option for them.

Of course it is a bold suggestion and some United fans will dismiss it out of hand, but if Lingard falls down the pecking order next season he will not be happy.

In contrast, he could excel at White Hart Lane if Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is prepared to make a cheeky call to his rival.

While Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli are currently on Tottenham’s books the latter was barely used in the final few months of the last campaign, and Lingard would be a dynamic, creative and confident addition to a Tottenham side aiming to make another significant step next season.

Whether Mourinho would strengthen– albeit temporarily – a direct rival remains to be seen, but such has been the change at Old Trafford in recent months that a Tottenham move for Lingard is not as bizarre as it once was.