Manchester United must be extra careful with their Jesse Lingard transfer decision
manchestereveningnews.co.ukChange is coming at Old Trafford and it might arrive sooner than anticipated. January remains a notoriously difficult month to strike up business and Manchester United were always more likely to offload than sanction any further high-profile recruits this month - no matter how much they might need Declan Rice or another top-level defensive midfielder in his mould.
Yet as we enter the final days of the mid-season window, there appears to be a mini exodus developing. Interim manager Ralf Rangnick has restored hope that United, who issued a triple statement of intent this summer when signing Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo, will claim a place in the Champions League for next season.
That represents a best-case scenario after their title dreams were left in tatters before the November break. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer lost his job as a result and, while the Norwegian 'promised' opportunities to Jesse Lingard and Donny van de Beek this campaign, neither he nor Michael Carrick and Rangnick delivered on that front as those two prepare to follow Sevilla-bound Anthony Martial out the door.
When it comes to van de Beek, the decision is a relatively straight-forward one. He has been incredibly short-changed during his 18 months at Old Trafford and if there is any chance that he might have a future at United longer-term, the Dutchman needs to prove that on-field between now and the summer.
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