Following an impressive loan period at West Ham United, the future of Warrington-born Jesse Lingard still remains uncertain.
Although the London club could yet move to sign the 28-year-old on a permanent basis, there appears to be no way back into the plans of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford.
Having struggled to make an impact with Manchester United in recent seasons, Lingard fell out of favour earlier in the current campaign, making just three appearances in the FA Cup and League Cup. That prompted the loan move to West Ham during the winter transfer window, where Lingard quickly rediscovered the best of his form, scoring 9 goals and providing 3 assists in just 14 Premier League appearances.
Looking at the latest football odds from Betfair, the transfer specials market is packed with players frequently linked as potential targets for Manchester United. These include Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane at 7/2 odds, along with towering Norwegian forward Erling Haaland at 9/1. Given that either would require a huge outlay by the club, the Red Devils will inevitably be looking to raise funds by selling their unwanted players.
England Competitive Return on the Cards
PL Player of the Month
PL Goal of the MonthJesse Lingard owned April pic.twitter.com/1A8QWWFYDJ
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 14, 2021
Thanks to how impressively Lingard has performed, there is growing impetus for him to be included in England’s UEFA EURO 2020 squad this summer, with the competition going ahead after being postponed last year. The best free football tips are backing England for success at the tournament, based around the Three Lions being considered as one of the outright favourites.
Speaking on TalkSport recently, former West Ham and Man City winger Trevor Sinclair was full of praise for Lingard, following his return to the England squad against San Marino in March. Sinclair believes that Lingard could be a key ingredient for Southgate’s team, as they seek to win the tournament, especially after such stellar Premier League form.
Lingard has made 3 appearances for England in 2021, adding to his overall 27 caps with the national team. Considering the excellent level of performance he has rediscovered at West Ham, the attacking midfielder has certainly put his name in the frame to feature at EURO 2020. Further quality performances at the tournament would raise the profile of Lingard, which means his club future might not be resolved until just ahead of the 2021-21 campaign.
West Ham Teammate may be a Makeweight
Players to win goal AND player of the month at the same time in the Premier League:
Jesse Lingard (April 2021)
Bruno Fernandes (June 2020)*𝙂𝙤𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙜𝙤 pic.twitter.com/ahr6mAYo8O
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 14, 2021
Back to the transfer front, despite the exceptional performances of Lingard at West Ham, he now features firmly in the unwanted category at United, as they prepare to bring in a number of important reinforcements. That said, the sparkling displays of Lingard back at his best will undoubtedly raise his value. However, that could also price West Ham out of making a permanent move, unless the Old Trafford hierarchy are willing to negotiate.
Lingard won the Premier League Player of the Month and the Goal of the Month awards for April, underlining how effective he has been at West Ham, becoming an instrumental part of their bid to qualify for Europe. While finishing inside the top four and qualifying for the Champions League is now impossible, West Ham could yet clinch a spot in either the Europa League or the new Europa Conference League.
Had they qualified for the Champions League, then purchasing Lingard would instantly have become a no-brainer decision for West Ham, given the influx of cash the elite European competition brings. Nevertheless, they could attempt to haggle over price by using a makeweight, with Manchester United interested in Declan Rice according to Metro. The 22-year-old midfielder already counts on Solskjaer as one of his many admirers.
No matter what happens in the coming months, it seems certain that Lingard will feature greatly on the back pages of the newspapers. Whether that’s for England exploits or a dream move, only time will tell.
