Manchester United extend Jesse Lingard’s contract

Manchester United have extended Jesse Lingard’s contract by another year.

The 28-year-old forward has not yet featured in a Premier League game for United this season and was one of the players expected to leave last summer before the coronavirus hit. That cut down on transfers in the summer with fewer clubs able to offer transfer fee or high wages.

Lingard himself is on around £100,000 a week, and his contract was due to run out at the end of the current season. That would have allowed him to negotiate with teams from abroad and sign a pre-contract deal to leave for nothing at the end of this season.

However United had an option to activate another year on his contract to prevent him to move on without the club receiving a transfer fee. There are a number of club who still hold an interest in him which suggests that they will look to move him on in the January transfer window or attempt to sell him in the summer when club finances are expected to look more positive across Europe.

There are at least three Premier League sides who could take a look at him. Jose Mourinho was a big fan of Lingard when both of them were at Old Trafford and he might look to add strength to his squad by bringing him to North London. Another London club, West Ham, may be interested, with another former United manager - David Moyes - in charge there at the moment.

Everton, which has been something of a retirement home for United players over the years could also be interested, but Everton have recently been buying good players instead of bad ones, which suggests that Lingard may no longer be suitable for a move west to Liverpool. And let’s link him to Newcastle, why not.