Sky Sports News have reported that Manchester United have extended the contract of out-of-favour star Jesse Lingard as the attacking midfielder eyes a loan exit in the January transfer window.
Lingard’s deal will now run until the summer of 2022 as the Manchester United have triggered the one-year extension option in the 28-year-old’s contract.
It appears as though the plan is still to try and secure a loan move for the former England international in the January transfer window, with Sheffield United reportedly interested per the MEN.
The main issue could be that Lingard earns £100,000-a-week, that’s a mighty amount for any interested side to even cover the portion of in the midst of the pandemic for a player that’s role has continued to dwindle over the last two-and-half seasons.
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Lingard has made just two appearances so far this season, both of which coming in the Carabao Cup.
As I’ve linked above, the ace’s hopes of featuring have also been impacted by coming into contact with a number of people who tested positive for Covid-19 on different occasions.
It’s clear that the hardworking ace is no longer a part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans at United, and it would be the best move for all parties if a loan can be arranged in January.
It can actually be argued that United’s decision to extend Lingard’s deal will only be worthwhile if they do arrange a loan, otherwise he’ll continue to play a very minimal role for the team – reducing the chance of them cashing in on the ace before his deal runs out in the summer of 2022.