Manchester United claim their original plan was for Jesse Lingard to stay for the remainder of the season despite intense interest in the forward during the January transfer window.
Lingard, 29, is out of contract in June, has not started in the Premier League for United since New Year's Day in 2020, started twice all season and expressed a desire to leave this month.
However, United sources say Lingard had made it clear at the start of the window he wanted to stay and believe he will be an important player for the rest of the season.
That has been disputed by sources who were privy to negotiations during Newcastle's effort to sign Lingard, who insist the player informed United of his wish to leave on loan in January after discussions over a new contract ended in November.
There is also confusion at United's decision-making. Club sources previously indicated the manager and the recruitment department had the right to veto transfers and interim manager Ralf Rangnick reiterated to Lingard on Monday he could leave.
The decision to block a loan move to a team in the relegation zone is bound to baffle until Rangnick is able to address the matter, especially as Rangnick informed Lingard on two separate occasions he was free to leave this month.
Newcastle came close to signing Lingard last week until United insisted on a survival bonus if the 18th-place Premier League club avoided relegation.
West Ham enquired about Lingard on deadline day but United refused to entertain the prospect of strengthening a rival club competing for the final Champions League qualifying place.
Lingard returned to United in the summer after a productive loan with West Ham but missed the start of the season after contracting Covid-19. Once he was fit to return, he was startled to be overlooked in favour of Daniel James in the 1-0 win at Wolves when James was sold to Leeds two days later.
Former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's selection strategy perplexed Lingard - as well as other squad players - and the England international's only starts have been in the League Cup defeat to West Ham and Champions League group stage dead-rubber against Young Boys. Lingard has not completed 90 minutes all season.
When asked about Lingard's situation on January 21, Rangnick said: "What I can say is he's a very good player, a technical player, of course, he can play in many Premier League clubs on a regular basis. Here, at Manchester United, it's not so easy, we have other players who can also play in that position and we cannot change from one game to the other on five or six positions.
"I know his contract is expiring in the summer, the question is what does he want to do? Does he want to get more game-time from now on, then I think it's quite legitimate to speak and think about other options. But I wouldn't be unhappy if he stayed until the rest of the season because I know he is a player who can always play even if we need to play him from the start, I know what kind of level I'll get from him."
