Manchester United have confirmed Jesse Lingard will leave the club this summer. That means the player has finally got what he wanted. Lingard wanted to leave United in January but his proposed move to Newcastle was blocked at the eleventh hour.
Lingard took a couple of days off following that disappointment. Ralf Rangnick claimed that was the player's wish in his press conference but Lingard denied that on social media, insisting that the club had advised him to spend some time away instead.
There were also counterclaims behind the scenes. United sources claimed the 'original plan' was always for Lingard to stay before Newcastle registered an interest. They also stressed Lingard 'will be an important player in the second half of the season'. Lingard played just 275 minutes after those claims were made. Perhaps the definition of the word 'important' is different at United.
