According to reports from the Manchester Evening News, Manchester United are about to hand England midfielder, Jesse Lingard, a new contract worth around £130,000 per week. I have to admit this one has me scratching my head. In fact, I believe many fans of United are also scratching their heads, too.
Full of potential!
There are many jokes going around social media about Lingard being full of potential and he is just kid, with some more naïve fans seeing the jokes flying over their head like a wayward effort on goal.
The fact is that at 26, Lingard is unlikely to get any better than his current level. Quite simply he is the sort of player that would not get near United teams in the past. If he did, it would not be in the team for too long.
Pundits talk about his hard work and intelligence off the ball. The problem with Lingard is when he has the ball. It is no good being great off the ball but never having an influence on a game.
A number of United fans have pointed out on various forums that he would not get into any of the other top-six teams. Some have even stated that he would struggle to get into most Premier League sides.
Needs fewer distractions off the field
I have to admit I am not the biggest fan of social media. I turned 36 on Tuesday and have little interest in what football players do with their free time unless it affects their football careers. However, it seems that millions do have an interest in the likes of Instabook and Facegram.
Apparently, Lingard has got a big following on social media and uses it to promote his clothing range. Yes, that is clothing range. It is fair enough having a social media presence as a sportsperson or another interest.
However, when you are seemingly spending expending more energy on your outside interests than your job, you’re doing your job wrong. Lingard should be concentrating on attempting to become a better footballer because that his job after all.
It is not dancing or selling clothes. He earns millions a year to play football for one of the big clubs in the world. The question is though, is football just a job for Jesse Lingard?
Some footballers have a real passion for the game. However, for some, they pay the game just to earn a living. If the second is the case, then according to some fans the winger is stealing a living.
United nowhere near a title challenge
Handing out bumper contracts to players considered mediocre will not help Manchester United to return to the glory days. In fact, it will just hinder the Red Devils chances of actually moving forward.
Manchester United in the Premier League era have become accustomed to being one of the top dogs. However, to be at the top you need top players and boss who knows what he is doing. I am not sure either of those applies to the current United set-up.
The fact Manchester United are odds of 25/1 to win the Premier League next season shows just how far the Red Devils have fallen in recent seasons.
Solskjaer has a massive challenge on their hands on his hands turning things around at Old Trafford. The club handing the likes of Lingard bumper new deals does not look like the way to achieve success in the near future.
Does Jesse Lingard really deserve a bumper new contract?
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