Lingard hits back at Rangnick as Man Utd transfer saga rumbles on
Stefan Bienkowski
- 3 Feb 2022 22:02 GMT
- 3 min read
Manchester United forward Jesse Lingard has escalated his bizarre transfer saga with the club by refuting claims made by manager Ralf Rangnick that he needed to take time off first team duties following the January transfer window.
With the striker now within the final six months of his contract, Lingard was widely expected to leave Man Utd in one form or another last month.
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However, despite reported interest from West Ham, Newcastle and even Nice, Lingard never ended up leaving Old Trafford.
At a press conference on Thursday, the Man Utd manager explained why Lingard didn’t leave in January and added that he wouldn’t be available for the club’s Friday night clash with Middlesborough in the FA Cup because he had asked for time off.
Thank you for all the birthday messages yesterday everyone ❤️ big 29 Yana 🎉🥳🎁 pic.twitter.com/ZTS5vIAqlL
— Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) December 16, 2021
'I will always be professional'
"Jesse asked if we could give him a couple of days off to clear his mind. He will be back in training on Monday and part of the whole squad,” said the Man Utd manager.
Rangnick added: “Three weeks ago, Jesse didn't want to leave, then he changed his mind.
“I had a chat with him 10 days ago and I could fully understand why he wanted to leave, to get game time for his future and the World Cup.
“I told him if he finds a club and the club find a solution with our club, I would allow him to leave, then with all the developments, things changed.
The club advised me to have time off due to personal reasons! But my headspace is clear and I’ll always be professional when called upon and give 100 percent
— Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) February 3, 2022
“We also had no agreement with any other club, so we had to take a final decision as the board and keep Jesse until the end of the season.”
However, shortly after Rangnick’s comments were made public, Lingard took to social media to tweet his own opinion on the matter.
“The club advised me to have time off due to personal reasons!” said the England international on Thursday.
“But my headspace is clear and I’ll always be professional when called upon and give 100 percent.”
