Jesse Lingard has voiced his frustration over not being given the chance to say a proper goodbye to Manchester United supporters but is hopeful he will get a chance to do just that on Tuesday.
Lingard joined United when he was seven and would go onto spend the next 22 years at the club before he left upon the expiration of his contract last summer. He was left on the bench in United's final home game of last season, though, denying him a goodbye that was afforded to several of his senior teammates.
United took on Brentford on May 2 and while Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Edinson Cavani and Phil Jones - who ended up staying - all got the chance to soak up the appreciation from supporters, Lingard was left on the bench by Ralf Rangnick. It was veteran striker Cavani, who spent most of his second season unavailable, who was brought on as the final substitute rather than Lingard.
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It was a surprising and stinging moment - with his brother, Louie Scott, branding the club 'classless' in the aftermath - and ahead of his return to United with new club Nottingham Forest on Tuesday, Lingard has opened up on his own feelings about the snub.
“I was itching to get on," he told SPORTbible. "I was trying but, like I say, it didn't happen. It was the last home game and he didn't put me on. I just thought, can you not put me on, even if it was just for the last five minutes so I can clap the fans and have a send-off? I felt like I deserved that, to be honest. But it didn't happen. Hopefully I can go back there and do it.
“It'll be good to hopefully get a send-off. Obviously I didn't do one last time. So, It'll be good to see the fans and my old teammates again. But we’ll be going there to win. It's not about seeing friends again. It's an important game, which we need to win.”
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