Gary Neville has slammed Manchester United star Jesse Lingard who he believes doesn’t have a “god-given right” to Old Trafford send-off.
Lingard is set to leave Manchester United this summer, due to his contract expiring. In their last home game at Old Trafford this season, Lingard was an unused substitute in their victory over Brentford. Nemanja Matic, Edinson Cavani, and Juan Mata were all given minutes to say their farewells, as they are also leaving the club at the end of the season.
Lingard’s brother took to Instagram to express his disappointment in Manchester United’s decision to not give him any minutes that day, as seen below.
Gary Neville has hit back at Lingard, speaking on The Gary Neville Podcast.
“He’s been at the club a long time and done a good job. But I’ve seen Bryan Robson and Steve Bruce not play in their last games for the club and not get a send-off in cup finals,” said Neville.
The likes of Robson and Bruce didn’t receive a send-off, and they contributed a lot more to Manchester United than Lingard did. At the time, they were still fighting for a place in the Champions League, so there is no room for sentiment at this stage of the season.
Matic, Mata and Cavani all were given minutes, but they can’t just give every single player minutes in their final fixtures.
“To feel like you’ve a god-given right to get some minutes on the pitch based on how they played. Not one of them, other than David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo, can complain about what will happen to them this summer,” added Neville.
Neville is disappointed due to the underachievement of Manchester United this season, but he has every right to question the attitude of players, especially if they are demanding minutes when they don’t deserve it.