Former Manchester United midfielder Luke Chadwick has been left baffled at Jesse Lingard's recent omission from the team.
Chadwick, who spent five years with the Reds' between 1999 and 2004, is confused by interim boss Ralf Rangnick's decision to leave the midfielder out of the side, insisting Lingard has undoubted attacking qualities.
Having featured a mere 13 times in all competitions this season, the 29-year-old looks likely to be coming towards the end of his time at Old Trafford, given his current United deal is set to expire this summer.
With Lingard commonly deployed in an advanced midfield role, Chadwick is surprised the former West Ham loanee has not been fully utilised to his maximum potential.
“I’m really surprised we’ve not seen more of Lingard since the new manager came in,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside.
“Rangnick wants to play with high energy and there’s not many more high energy players than Jesse Lingard. In that 4-2-2-2 formation, the movement that he has, he’s probably one of the best in the club at running beyond the striker, not just receiving the ball to feet out wide.
“I think it would be well worth giving him an opportunity, the way that he plays, the style of football we’re seeing under Rangnick, he could be a real asset between now and the end of the season.”
Lingard did feature late on in the side's recent 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the FA Cup, but has struggled to nail down a consistent place in this ever-changing United side.
Given Bruno Fernandes' superb form since his arrival in January 2020, competition for places in the squad has seemingly never been tougher.
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