Paul Scholes believes Erik ten Hag’s arrival could yet see Jesse Lingard remain at Manchester United beyond the end of this season.
Lingard’s contract is set to expire in a matter of weeks and he will be available to leave his boyhood club on a free transfer. Having shone on-loan at West Ham last season, it was expected the England international would be given a more prominent role back at Old Trafford.
However, any promises over extra playing time have proven to be empty and he has earned just 548 minutes across all competitions this season. Lingard had pushed for a January exit, with the likes of West Ham and Newcastle both chasing his signature, but at the 11th hour interim boss Ralf Rangnick blocked his exit.
However, he has remained a player on the peripheries with his future surely lying away from United. But Scholes, who believes Lingard has been treated “pretty poorly” by his old side, thinks he could be the kind of player Ten Hag is looking for.
The Dutchman is set to take over at the start of the summer having been appointed on a three-year deal and has already made it clear that he will have a major say over any recruitment decision. And Red Devils legend Scholes has predicted the new boss could make his influence felt early on and look to keep Lingard at The Theatre of Dreams.
“I think Jesse has been treated pretty poorly by the club, to be honest,” Scholes told talkSPORT. “He was ready to sign for Newcastle at one point and West Ham, right at the end of deadline day and he was told he was going to get more minutes.
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“That clearly hasn’t happened. He’s deserved a chance. We all saw what he did at West Ham. He’s a really good footballer and can bring goals to a team and with this team playing so poorly as well, for him not to get a chance… I think he’s unfairly treated.
“I think he might suit him [Ten Hag] and he might want to keep him. We will see what happens. It’s obvious he never wants to leave Manchester United, and if this manager wants him then why wouldn’t he stay?”
Ten Hag arrives at United tasked with overhauling an ageing side which has appeared miles behind its Premier League rivals, bloated by major egos in the dressing room and blighted by a lack of confidence on the field.
But the 52-year-old is confident he will be able to put his stamp on the squad and deal with the big personalities already at the club: “I think I can, but I will stay myself in that. I won’t change my vision,” he told Dutch outlet Trouw. “I will tell them their task and whoever does not meet those tasks will hear that from me, no matter who it is.
“I make demands in advance before I arrive. If the club doesn’t grant them I won’t take the job. I am the one responsible, I am the one who will get judged by results. I don’t want to be a ruler, I will work together, but having a say in transfers is a condition for me.”
