Manchester United graduate wants to leave in January

The Manchester United academy is looking for an Old Trafford exit in January if the club fail to provide him regular minutes.

Manchester United’s youth academy has produced many footballing gems over the years. Plying their trades for the Red Devils, some have even reached the top in their professional careers.

The class of 1992 consisting of Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt, David Beckham, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes represented the golden era of the United academy. The same crop of players went on to capture a historic treble in 1999 – an achievement still unmatched by any other English side.

The past was full of glory and the future of the academy appears to be full of promise as well. One that will help United’s senior team reach the pinnacle of European football once again.

Once called the club’s ‘Andres Iniesta‘, Jesse Lingard joined the Manchester United academy at the age of seven. The Englishman’s rapid development earned him his first professional contract for the Red Devils in 2011.

And now, almost ten years later, he finds his future at the Theatre of Dreams in jeopardy. Lingard was one of the many names favoured by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer more than often last season. He was given substantial chances to prove his worth to the team.

Yet, the notable drop in his form forced United to find a new man to escalate the team’s creativity in the middle of the park. Therefore, Bruno Fernandes joined the Red Devils from Sporting CP in the 2019 January transfer window and what a blessing that has been.

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Ever since Fernandes’ acquisition, Solskjaer hasn’t had to look back towards other resources for that extra spark of creativity. Since coming to Manchester United, the Portuguese star has taken the Premier League by storm, having racked up 15 goals and 12 assists in 25 Premier League matches.

As things stand now, Lingard is behind Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek, United’s latest £35 million summer signing from Ajax, in Solskjaer’s pecking order.

The recent reports regarding his future at the club suggest that Lingard might leave his boyhood club in the approaching winter transfer window. A reliable journalist in the form Jonathan Shrager has reported that a number of European clubs are closely monitoring his current situation.

An academy graduate, Lingard has recorded only 99 minutes over two League Cup appearances this season. United have a hectic period ahead of them though, and some regular minutes could incite him to stay put at Old Trafford.