Jesse Lingard has disputed Ralf Rangnick’s claim that he
requested time off to help clear his head after Manchester United blocked his
move away from the club during the January transfer window.
Newcastle, West Ham — where he excelled on loan last season
— and Tottenham were among the suitors for the 29-year-old, who is out of
contract at the end of the season, but United decided to keep him at Old
Trafford.
Rangnick revealed on Thursday that the frustrated England
midfielder had been granted a short leave of absence and would miss Friday’s FA
Cup fourth-round tie against Middlesbrough.
But Lingard said it was the club’s decision to grant him
time away and that he was ready to play if called upon.
“The club advised me to have time off due to personal
reasons!” he tweeted.
“But my headspace is clear and I’ll always be professional
when called upon and give 100 percent.”
Lingard’s rebuttal comes after Anthony Martial — now on loan
at Sevilla — last month contracted Rangnick’s claim he refused to be in a match
squad, saying he would “never disrespect the club”.
Rangnick said the situation regarding Mason Greenwood was
partly behind the decision to keep Lingard for the rest of the campaign.
Greenwood, who was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of the
rape and assault of a woman, has been released on bail pending further
investigation and remains suspended by United.
Rangnick likened Lingard’s situation to that of Paul Pogba,
whom the interim boss has previously suggested could be motivated by the chance
to earn a new deal elsewhere.
The France World Cup winner, 28, who is also out of contract
at the end of the season, is set to return to action on Friday after
three-month lay-off with a thigh injury.
“It’s up to him now,” Rangnick said. “His contract is
expiring in the summer and no matter if in the end he would like to stay or go
somewhere else, he has to show up.
“It’s not only in the interest of us as a club, also in his
personal interest that he plays and performs on the highest possible level in
the next couple of weeks.”
Rangnick, who is due to start a two-year consultancy role
with United after finishing his interim stint at the end of the current
campaign, did not offer clarity on Pogba’s future.
Asked if he was recommending or even urging the club to sort
out a new deal with Pogba, he said: “We haven’t spoken about that at all so far
— not only about Paul’s situation but also about other players with contracts
expiring in the summer. We also didn’t speak about new players so far.”
AFP
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com