Why Jesse Lingard would be an impact signing for Sheffield United
According to claims from Manchester Evening News (h/t Daily Mail), Sheffield United are interested in securing a loan for out-of-favour Manchester United attacker Jesse Lingard in the January window.
As per the report, the Blades are set to seek reinforcements in the winter market to get their campaign back on track. The Yorkshire outfit are currently bottom of the table, having suffered the worst start in their league history. However, it has been claimed that they could be limited to just loan signings in January after spending £53million in the summer.
Manchester Evening News (h/t Daily Mail) understands that Chris Wilder held initial talks with Man United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over a potential loan deal for Lingard after the Blades’ recent 3-2 loss against the Red Devils. The Yorkshire outfit are even prepared to cover Lingard’s £100,000-a-week wages to bring him to Bramall Lane.
Lingard has slipped way down the pecking order at Old Trafford over the past 12 months. The attacking midfielder’s last appearance for United came in an EFL Cup tie back in September and he hasn’t featured in the Premier League at all this season. In fact, the last time Lingard started a league fixture for the Red Devils was way back on New Year’s day.
That represents a significant fall from grace for a player who has made over 200 senior appearances for Manchester United in his career. Lingard played a key role in England’s 4th-place finish at the 2018 FIFA World Cup but is currently out of the national team due to his ongoing struggles on the club front.
With the threat of relegation looming large, the Blades need to start putting up some points on the board in the coming months to get things up and running. Significant improvement will be required, however, considering that they have only managed to score 8 goals in the PL so far.
Chris Wilder, to that end, should definitely look for some transfer spark during the mid-season trading period. While a new striker should be high on the club’s agenda, the Blades also need to improve the quality of their supply lines to ensure better service to those operating up front.
Sheffield United are in dire need of a game-changer in the final third and a potential deal for Jesse Lingard could go a long way towards helping them climb up the table. The England playmaker might have struggled for form in recent times but he remains a creative player capable of unlocking tight opposition defences.
Verdict
It is an absolute no-brainer that a tried and tested player like Jesse Lingard would represent a massive upgrade on the Blades’ current creative options in the middle. The 28-year-old has the experience and the capability to emerge as a game-changer on his day, which is exactly what the Yorkshire club need.
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While he hasn’t really fired on all cylinders for quite a long time, the England international could well be the difference between survival and relegation for Sheffield United if he hits the ground running at Bramall Lane.
