Manchester United’s board intentionally blocked Jesse Lingard from leaving in January to ‘make an example’ of the midfielder and send a message to the rest of the team, according to reports.
Lingard, who has not started a single Premier League game this campaign, is in the last six months of his contract with the club and has told United he will not be signing an extension.
January represented United’s last chance to cash in on Lingard but the Red devils rejected approaches from both Newcastle United and West Ham United.
Interim manager Ralf Rangnick even spoke to Lingard on deadline day and gave him the green light to leave, but United’s hierarchy were against a move.
According to the Daily Mail, the decision was made in order to stop other players from trying to run down their contracts with United’s stance on Lingard acting as a harsh warning to others.
United face a precarious few years with up to 12 players potentially out of contract by the summer of 2024.
That is not including players like Paul Pogba and Edinson Cavani, who are in the last five months of their contracts at Old Trafford and intend to leave on free transfers.
Marcus Rashford, Luke Shaw, Cristiano Ronaldo, Fred and David de Gea are among the first-team players United need to start thinking about tying down to new deals – though majority of the team have 12-month extension clauses.
There is a feeling that the club’s stance on Lingard is a sign to the rest of the squad that they are ready to freeze players out if they will not commit to new contracts.
Also, United’s board do not want to be put in a position where rival teams offer small fees for players who will soon be out of contract, with the club keen to preserve the value of their players.
United had hoped to get up to £30m for Lingard last summer but his contract status meant no clubs paid up, while the player had wanted to stay and fight for his place without committing to fresh terms.
