Jeff Stelling thinks Man Utd may be playing hardball over Jesse Lingard’s rumoured move to Newcastle due to the repercussions the deal could have in the coming years.
The England international is heavily linked with a move to Tyneside after being frozen out at Old Trafford this season.
The 29-year-old, who was a pivotal part of the Three Lions’ semi-final heroics at the 2018 World Cup, has not started a Premier League game in Man Utd colours for two years - a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in January 2020.
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A Daily Mail report claims Lingard - who is out of contract in June - is furious at the Red Devils for demanding a £12million ‘survival clause’ should Newcastle beat the drop this season.
The suggestion has baffled Soccer Saturday host Stelling, too, who questioned whether Man Utd are scared about the thought of Newcastle staying up.
Speaking to Tim Sherwood on the show, he said: “He (Lingard) looked like he was going to be on his way there.
“Then, Manchester United reportedly asked for a £12million survival payment on top of a loan fee of £12.5million, plus his wages of £100k-a-week.
“Is that United saying to the football world ‘actually we hope Newcastle go down because they could be a threat to us in the next season or two seasons?”
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