Former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer has accused Manchester United of being 'negligent' in their handling of the futures of both Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard.
The duo are both out-of-contract at United this coming summer and are not expected to sign new deals at Old Trafford, meaning they will depart on free transfers.
Lingard, who has been limited to just 16 appearances in all competitions so far this season for United, was the subject of widespread interest in the January transfer window, particularly from both Newcastle United and West Ham United. Newcastle were keen to sign the England international on loan for the remainder of the season but saw their efforts derailed by the Reds' financial demands.
Pogba, meanwhile, has shown no signs of being interested in signing a new deal this coming summer, meaning it has been accepted by almost everyone associated with the club that he will depart at the end of June.
Therefore, with United set to lose two big-name players on free transfers, Shearer has criticised the club's handling of the two situations.
Shearer told The Athletic : "As things stand, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, who both featured against Southampton, are due to leave for nothing this summer which means, what, £130million of talent flushed down the toilet?
"Free transfers happen, but here it feels like a form of negligence or self-harm."
Pogba, who returned to United from Juventus in the summer of 2016 for a club-record fee of £89m, has blown hot and cold in recent years, highlighting his struggle for regular consistency.
Nevertheless, he remains a big-name player and United are going to have to stomach a huge financial loss on his expected departure.
Lingard, meanwhile, is likely to have an array of offers on the table in the summer, both domestically and from abroad, meaning he could have a big decision to make on his next move, whereas Pogba is likely to have just a select few that can meet his wage demands.
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