This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Speaking to TV2, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s former Norway teammate Stale Solbakken has slammed the performances of Jesse Lingard.
What did he say?
Lingard has endured a frustrating calendar year, and has yet to open his goal-scoring account for this season. A section of the Manchester United support have criticised him for his poor form, and now, Solbakken has further poured salt on the wounds.
The former Wolves boss said (as translated by The Daily Mirror): “I can’t remember the last time I saw Jesse Lingard playing a good match, I actually can’t. He is truly an Achilles heel for this United team.
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“He is almost invisible, and when he is subbed out you wonder, did you even see him? And this is not the first time. I don’t see him, I don’t see his personality, I don’t see what he brings to United.
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“Seriously I think he is a direct liability to the team because in the position he plays you have to either be good with the ball so you can play in small spaces, otherwise you have to be dynamic and go behind the opponent’s back four from a slightly deeper position, get on second balls on from crosses for example, be a threat round the opponent’s box, have goal nose. I don’t see that he has anything.”
Damning
Talk about kicking a man when he’s down. Solbakken’s brutal verdict on what Lingard offers United is a fresh reminder of just how far the England international’s stock has fallen. As an academy product, the 26-year-old should be the poster boy of the Red Devils’ revolution. A player who has come through the youth sides and gone on to form the heartbeat of the midfield.
Instead, his off-the-pitch activities have pretty much symbolised everything that has gone wrong for him in recent months. A lack of focus and dedication to his craft, and quite understandably, on the receiving end of criticism from some of his own fans. And with players like Angel Gomes and Mason Greenwood waiting in the wings, Lingard’s time is perhaps over.
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