Jesse Lingard is the biggest loser
It is now eight days since the Manchester Evening News had their Jesse Lingard exclusive.
The newspaper revealing that Newcastle United had approached Manchester United with an offer.
Newcastle putting in a loan bid for the rest of the 2021/22 season.
Just over three months of Premier League action remaining once Newcastle United kick off again on Tuesday 8 February, Everton at home the first of the seventeen matches that remain for NUFC.
Now with only four days to go, still no agreement between the two clubs, although it is widely reported that Jesse Lingard himself is very keen to come to St James Park on loan for the rest of the season.
Lingard has made clear he has no interest in committing himself to a permanent deal anywhere at this point, especially as Man Utd are refusing to let him go to any club who are a competitor to them in this particular season. Therefore, he will only consider a loan deal, meaning he will be a free agent at the end of June (2022).
Jesse Lingard has played only 88 minutes of Premier League football this season and his last Premier League start for Manchester United was over 24 months ago, so clearly Lingard needs to get away from Old Trafford.
However, with Manchester United reported to be demanding a deal that will cost Newcastle United as much as £16.5m to have the use of the midfielder for 17 games maximum over a period of just over three months, a move to Tyneside isn’t looking likely as things stand. Some of the reporting claiming that Man Utd are insisting on a £12m bonus clause if Jesse Lingard helps Newcastle avoid relegation.
As things look now, I can’t help but think that in all of this, Jesse Lingard is the biggest loser.
Here are a few facts regarding Jesse Lingard:
He has been with Manchester United for over 22 years now, having first got involved with the club at the age of seven.
Jesse Lingard was named in a Man Utd Premier League squad for the very first time on 4 January 2012, an unused sub as his side lost 3-0 at St James Park to Newcastle United.
It was 1 January 2020 when Lingard last started a PL match for Manchester United, a gap of at least 25 months without a PL start for Man Utd, if he stays at Old Trafford this transfer window.
Lingard has made 86 Premier League starts for Man Utd.
The midfielder starting 102 Premier League games in total in his career.
The Man Utd player has made 32 appearances for England.
Jesse Lingard turns 30 this year.
I find it quite bizarre and a sad reflection on modern day football, an era where the elite clubs have massive squads and so many high quality and / or highly paid players, who hardly ever actually play football.
Jesse Lingard has been at Old Trafford man and boy since 2000, yet has only started 86 Premier League matches for them, in total starting only 102 Premier League games in his entire career so far and yet he turns 30 in December this year. Then you look at the fact he has made 32 appearances for England, 46 at all levels including Under 21 etc. What a waste.
We are now looking at a generation of players in the Premier League, where so many of them will have played so little top flight football in their entire careers.
As well as his 86 Premier League starts for Manchester United, the midfielder got his other 16 for West Ham last season. when on loan for the final months of the season.
Jesse Lingard scored nine and got four assists in 16 PL starts for West Ham last season and doing something similar for Newcastle would be massive in these next few months.
Yet, bizarrely, we could just as easily see the player still at Man Utd for the rest of the season, not playing football. Yet potentially still making the England squad for Qatar, if Gareth Southgate doesn’t take into account such minimal Premier League minutes for the midfielder.
Since first being named in a Premier League squad over ten years ago in 2012, Jesse Lingard has averaged ten PL starts per year / season over the last decade.
This is all shambolic and clubs and players should all be desperate to change this direction of travel for Lingard and other Premier League players in similar positions.
You look at Dele Alli and he was one of the England superstars, lucky enough to be in a position to get plenty of Premier League starts (139) in by the time he was aged 23, then only 16 PL starts these past 22 months and set to turn 26 in April. His career also looking to be heading in a direction of playing minimal top flight football, unless something changes.
Dele Alli has now dropped out of the England picture thanks largely to so little Premier League action and Jesse Lingard surely faces the same, unless something dramatically changes for him, such as joining a PL club that will give him games…
If you would like to feature on The Mag, submit your article to contribute@themag.co.uk