Jesse Lingard has asked Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick for a couple of days off to 'clear' his head after his mid-season move to Newcastle United fell through.
Lingard was keen to join the Magpies on loan until the end of the season after he entered the final months of his contract at Old Trafford.
However, Manchester United quoted Newcastle an eye-watering loan fee and survival bonus during negotiations.
Go here for all the latest Newcastle United news
Newcastle attempted to resurrect the move on deadline day but Lingard was ultimately left disappointed and interim boss Ralf Rangnick has revealed that the England international asked to be excused from Manchester United's FA Cup tie against Middlesbrough on Friday night.
"He asked me and the club if we could give him a a couple of days off just to clear up his mind and he will be back in the group next Monday, back for training, and be a regular part of the whole squad again," Rangnick told reporters on Zoom.
Although Lingard has only started two games all season, Manchester United were particularly keen to hold onto the midfielder after Mason Greenwood was suspended.
The club's hierarchy informed Rangnick earlier this week that not only had they failed to 'find an agreement' with Newcastle but, also, that they would 'rather' Lingard stayed put.
"Three weeks ago, Jesse didn't want to leave," Rangnick added. "Then he changed his mind.
"I had a chat with him some 10 days ago and I could fully understand why he wanted to leave to get game time for his future and, also, the World Cup.
"I said to him at the time, in case he finds a club that he would like to play for and also the club finds a solution with our club, I would let him go and allow him to leave.
"But, obviously, with all the developments that we had in the last couple of days, things changed a little bit. On the other hand, we also had no agreement with any other club so, at one stage, we had to take a final decision together with the board and we decided to keep Jesse until the end of the season."
Newcastle could yet revisit the situation in the summer if the Magpies manage to stay up.
We want to hear your thoughts, so LOG IN and leave your comment below
