Former Manchester United star Luke Chadwick has named Jesse Lingard as a player who could still have plenty to offer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in the season ahead.
The England international has not been as much of a regular for Man Utd in recent times after a dip in form, and few would have been surprised to see him offloaded at some point this summer.
Still, with a few weeks left of the transfer window Lingard remains a United player and there doesn’t seem to be much sign of a move away being imminent.
MORE: “I do still expect that deal to happen” – Transfer insider provides exciting Manchester United update
Chadwick spoke to CaughtOffside about Lingard’s situation and admits that he doesn’t look like being a regular starter for the Red Devils any time soon.
He feels, however, that Lingard still has a lot to offer the team, providing Solskjaer’s side with something a little different due to his intelligent play off the ball.
United fans love seeing players come through their academy, and Chadwick also pointed to that as being part of the 27-year-old’s “great history” at Old Trafford.
“Jesse Lingard’s obviously got a great history at the club, coming through the academy…” Chadwick told CaughtOffside.
“(He) got into the first-team, had some real good spells, and probably suffered due to his personal situation affecting his form last season.
“But on form I think Jesse Lingard can offer so much to Manchester United. We speak about players like Pogba, Fernandes, who are all wonderful on the ball, but I think what Lingard offers is wonderful movement, whether he plays in central or wide areas. He understands the game really well in terms of his movement off the ball.
“I think maybe more likely now is that that could be coming off the bench, but I think there is game time there for Lingard. Obviously he needs to think about his own future. If you look at the squad Ole’s put together I’d be quite surprised if Jesse was a starter, but I think he still offers plenty to be an effective Premier League player.”
It would certainly be heartwarming to see Lingard make something of a comeback at United, and one imagines much of that will come down to what the club can do in the transfer market in the coming weeks.
Lingard already faces a fight for regular playing time, as Chadwick acknowledged, and signings in that area of the pitch would surely be the final nail in his MUFC career.
Ole should give lingard an opportunity to rejuvenate his career.