Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville believes Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard has missed the perfect opportunity to further his career after deciding against joining West Ham this summer.
The Hammers were reportedly keen to snap up the England international on a permanent basis, and Neville thinks the player should have tried harder to secure his exit from Old Trafford:
“I’m disappointed Jesse Lingard hasn’t left. He’ll get a few games but I think he had something going at West Ham that meant he was standing up as a really good player and to go back into being a squad player again, it’s disappointing. Sometimes you need to fly the nest and go.”
There have been various explanations put forward for Lingard‘s decision to stay with the Red Devils. Some have suggested personal reasons, while others have claimed that West Ham were put off by United’s price tag.
As things stand, though, the 28-year-old can leave the Manchester club at the end of the season when his contract expires. That is probably the likeliest outcome at the moment, considering he has had limited game time so far this season under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It may, therefore, be a situation that the Irons revisit next summer.
