Rio Ferdinand believes Jesse Lingard has wasted a year of his career after failing to secure a move away from Manchester United.
The winger looked set to leave Old Trafford on loan on deadline day after being told by Ralf Rangnick he was free to move, having been limited in his appearances so far this season.
But, just as a move to Newcastle looked to be in the works, United blocked the move, meaning Lingard will remain with the Reds for the remainder of the season.
The England international’s contract is set to expire in the summer, when he looks certain to leave the club, and Ferdinand feels he made a mistake by choosing to stay at United following his successful loan spell at West Ham last season.
“I wouldn’t be happy if I was the player,” Ferdinand told the Vibe With Five podcast. “It’s almost like he’s wasted a whole year of his career.
“A whole season of his career has been wasted, he’s hardly played any games, hasn’t been involved.
“He went to West Ham and did fantastically well, everyone would have wanted to take him outside probably the top four, and then he goes back to Man United and doesn’t play.
“I was just baffled that he went back to Man United in the first place after having that taste of success, that taste of playing every week.
“Maybe he was promised by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer he would get more game time, I don’t know what it was, and then this window you’d think he’d be doing all he can to get out.
“Maybe he took too long in getting to that point of wanting to leave. Did he ask to leave at the beginning of the window, or make a decision later on in the window he wanted to leave, and then by then other situations took it out of his hands? Maybe, I don’t know.
“I just look at his career and think the last year or two of his career have been wasted by sticking around at Man United when he was never going to play games. It’s crazy.”
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