Could Jesse Lingard really leave Man Utd for Real Madrid?
Martin Macdonald
- 4 Dec 2021 11:04 GMT
- 3 min read
The transfer rumour mill is in full swing ahead of the upcoming window in January, with Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard being linked with a shock move to Real Madrid.
Lingard's contract at Old Trafford expires in June of 2022 and so will be available to talk to other clubs about a potential free transfer as early as January.
Madrid are looking to bolster their attacking options and could attempt to sign Lingard as a free agent, according to the Express.
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They are already poised to sign Kylian Mbappe on a free transfer, but any free funds will likely be used in their pursuit of Erling Haaland.
Lingard, then, would represent an inexpensive choice to add numbers to the squad.
Lingard at Man Utd
After barely playing a minute of football in the first half of the 2020/21 season, Lingard went out on loan to West Ham in January last season and enjoyed a superb period in East London.
In 16 appearances in the Premier League, he scored nine goals and recorded four assists.
A permanent transfer to West Ham was on the table, but it failed to materialise due to Man Utd's asking price as well as, reportedly, some promises made by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
ESPN previously reported that the former Man Utd boss held a meeting with his squad in the summer and promised some of the fringe players more playing time in the upcoming 2021/22 season.
Lingard, Juan Mata, Donny van de Beek, Anthony Martial, Dean Henderson, Eric Bailly, Diogo Dalot, and Alex Telles were all told by Solskjaer to expect to feature more.
That hasn't happened, and the Norwegian kept blind faith in others despite the club's woeful performances.
Now that Solskjaer is gone, there is the possibility of a fresh start for Lingard and the rest of that group, but the damage may already have been done, even with Ralf Rangnick in charge.
Will Lingard join Real Madrid?
Stranger things have happened than Lingard potentially joining Real Madrid.
He is, after all, a better player than Julien Faubert.
But, the England international simply doesn't fit the profile of being a Real Madrid quality name and star, while if he does go he will definitely not be a first-team player.
The only scenario which could see Lingard moving to the Spanish capital is if Madrid view him as a potential replacement for Isco, who will likely leave.
Even then, Isco doesn't play anyway, so it would not be a priority to replace him.
It seems Lingard's future, then, is in the Premier League, though probably not with Man Utd.
