Garth Crooks questions why Lingard has remained at Manchester United
Jesse Lingard scored on his return to West Ham, helping Manchester United leave with all three points, but Garth Crooks has questioned his summer decision to stay.
The England international attacking midfielder, 28, started all the 16 games he featured in during his loan spell with the Irons, but has had to come off the bench for his three league appearances this term.
Crooks does not understand why Lingard opted to remain at Old Trafford during the summer transfer window, insisting being a squad player is not fun.
The BBC pundit wrote in his official Team of the Week on their website: “Can anyone tell me why Jesse Lingard is still at Manchester United? A player who has the ability to score goals and affect the game as he clearly can should not be coming on as a substitute, filling in here and there, and playing second fiddle to anyone.
“A cruel irony took place at London Stadium against West Ham as the former loanee found himself scoring the winning goal for Manchester United against the club who got his career back on track, when United had thrown him on the scrap heap last season.
“I’ve no doubt that the answer to my earlier question is United are more likely to win trophies, but it’s no fun when you’re winning trophies on the bench.”
Absolutely
Lingard is not going to bench Bruno Fernandes or Cristiano Ronaldo at Man Utd, and Jadon Sancho is most likely to move ahead of him in the pecking order going forward.
He fancies his chances of becoming a key player for the side, and while that is a hallmark of a top player with an elite mentality, he needs to be realistic.
West Ham helped him get his career back on track, and they badly wanted him all summer. The fans love him and gave him a warm reception after coming on during Sunday’s game.
It is early days and a lot can still change, but not many can see Lingard forcing his way into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s XI.
David Moyes wasted no time making him an important player at West Ham, and he responded with nine goals and four assists – although he did share that a move was never close despite strong interest.
January would present the attacker with a chance to assess things, and if the situation changes dramatically, he should be pushing for a return to the London Stadium.
In other West Ham news, Roy Keane has been blown away by Hammers ace as he makes prediction.
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