West Ham have been handed a double blow in their pursuit of Manchester United attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard this weekend.
Following a successful loan spell with the Hammers, manager David Moyes made no secret of a desire to land the 28-year-old on a permanent basis this summer.
However, a report from The Athletic has claimed that the England ace is ‘minded’ to stay at Old Trafford and compete for a squad role.
That news was followed by yet another dent to the Irons’ hopes as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke positively to Sky Sports about the ace’s future in Manchester after a 2-1 victory over Derby County.
Twitter:
“He’s come back bright, confident and with lots of energy. I think everyone saw what he did at the end of last se… https://t.co/P8dLWfnuqy (@SkySports)
The Norwegian boss went on to say: “He was one of the positives. He’s a Manchester United player and he wants to fight for his place. He’s still in my plans. I expect him at Man Utd at the start of the season.”
Lingard barely featured last season prior to a loan move to east London in February, finishing the season with nine goals and five assists from just 16 Premier League outings.
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In truth, this is a deal that has looked less and less likely as time has gone by.
Despite making a huge impact and seemingly rekindling a career at the London Stadium, signing Lingard always looked to be too expensive an outlay for a position that won’t be regarded as a top priority by the West Ham hierarchy.
Whilst the ace’s arrival would’ve been greeted favourably, landing a new recognised striker, central midfielder and central defender must take precedent.
