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Lingard told he ‘missed the opportunity to leave’ Man Utd in summer

Jesse Lingard - Man United
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The attacking midfielder didn’t rejoin forces with the Hammers despite having enjoyed a fruitful six-month spell at the club.

Jesse Lingard is “too good a player to be not playing” at Manchester United, says West Ham coach Stuart Pearce in light of the player’s fine form for England.

Lingard scored twice as England cruised to a 4-0 victory over Andorra in their previous World Cup qualifiers match.

He was linked with a return to West Ham when the summer market was open, but a move never materialized.

West Ham reportedly made attempts to bring back the 28-year-old, who had 15 goal contributions in 16 games for them in 2020-21, on a permanent transfer but were put off by United’s asking price.

Lingard will likely get fewer opportunities than ever this season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who now has the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes as his attacking options.

“He has missed the opportunity to leave United in this transfer window,” Pearce told talkSPORT. “He can reassess his situation come January once again and decide whether there is an opportunity to move clubs or whatever.

“He holds the cards. The most important thing for him at the moment is his football.

“He is playing the odd game for United and playing extremely well for England. Those performances for England might just help get him in the United side.

“He is too good a player to be sat on the outside of it not playing to be honest. He is at an age where he needs to be playing now.”

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