Jesse Lingard probably wished he had been allowed to join Newcastle United last night.
The midfielder came on for Manchester United in the 10th minute, but was unable to stop Liverpool embarrassing his side.
Jurgen Klopp’s men dominated the Red Devils, winning 4-0 to continue their title charge. As for Manchester United, it was the latest example of their seismic demise.
It was an abject performance from Man United, and no player escaped criticism – including Lingard.
Roy Keane and Chris Sutton go after Jesse Lingard
After just 10 minutes, Paul Pogba decided he’d had enough and was replaced by Lingard, who entered the game donning a black pair of gloves. This certainly angered Chris Sutton…
He wrote on Twitter: “Jesse Lingard wearing gloves on April 19 maybe sums up Manchester United this season…”
While the decision to wear gloves midway through April was somewhat questionable, does it really matter? Manchester United’s problems run a lot deeper than Lingard wanting to warm his hands up.
Sutton’s criticism was pretty ridiculous, but Roy Keane was a lot more scathing.
He was on punditry duty for Sky Sports, and had his say on Lingard after the humiliating defeat.
“Jesse Lingard’s coming on to try save Man United,” said Keane.
“Jesse Lingard should’ve left Man United two years ago. He’s not good enough.”
If only he’d joined Newcastle…
While he wasn’t good enough last night, there’s no way Lingard can be blamed for Manchester United’s latest embarrassment.
Yes, he should have left Old Trafford by now, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The Red Devils actually stopped him joining Newcastle in January. Their greed got in the way.
Luckily, Man United won’t be Lingard’s problem soon. His contract expires in the summer, and Newcastle have reportedly remained in talks with his representatives.
Having seen the Magpies’ rise in 2022, Lingard is probably gutted he was denied a move.
He might get the chance to put things right this summer, but he will surely have plenty of suitors. As for Newcastle, they too could look elsewhere.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
