Martin Keown has backed Jesse Lingard after the Manchester United winger contradicted interim manager Ralf Rangnick this week.
Rangnick suggested in his pre-match press conference ahead of the FA Cup tie with Middlesbrough that Lingard had asked for time off in order to clear his head, having missed out on a deadline day move to Newcastle when United blocked the deal.
The England international disputed that on social media later in the day though, insisting he had been advised by the club to take time off due to personal reasons.
“My headspace is clear and I’ll always be professional when called upon and give 100 per cent,” Lingard wrote in a tweet.
It’s the second time a United player has contradicted Rangnick on social media since he arrived to take over from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Last month, the German also suggested Anthony Martial had refused to play against Aston Villa, only for the striker to fire back on Instagram as he insisted he “will never refuse to play a match for Man United”.
Martial would later return to the squad against West Ham before securing a move on loan to West Ham.
Former Arsenal defender Keown though believes it is a worrying sign that another player has now had to respond to Rangnick’s comments.
“I tend to believe the players,” Keown told talkSPORT.
“I don’t know if this is a breakdown in communication in terms of the language with the manager because he’s going with the club policy, what is good for Manchester United, let’s say it this way, and then the players have come out to deny it.
“It doesn’t look good on the player, and the player’s come out to protect himself. It’s a difficult one, who do you believe? It’s one word against the other.
“I’ll always side with the players because it’s not an easy thing for a player to come out and say what he is, against the manager, because you just have to accept it.
“I’m not sure why the manager is getting this wrong. That’s twice he’s got it wrong.”
Keown added: “Ralf Rangnick said he didn’t want to play, he wanted time off, and the player said he didn’t, so there’s a breakdown in communication.
“That’s the key point, you have to communicate with your players if you’re going to be successful, so it concerns me that Ralf Rangnick, twice now, has got the communication wrong with his players.”
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