One player Manchester United fans believed to be leaving during the recent transfer window has started to stake his claim for a second coming at Old Trafford.
Jesse Lingard had another great performance to continue his blistering 2021, bagging a brace and notching an assist against Andorra in England’s latest World Cup qualifier.
Lingard once again showed that he is worthy of playing at a high level, but is it enough for a spot at United ?
The Reds have an abundant amount of forward depth, with the triumphant homecoming of Cristiano Ronaldo only adding to a stacked deck for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial, Edinson Cavani, Mason Greenwood, Amad Diallo, Anthony Elanga, Juan Mata, Donny van de Beek, and Lingard mean there are 12 players who can operate across the front four positions.
That means plenty of competition for the roles in which Lingard typically excels before we include youth players on the cusp of the senior team such as Hannibal Mejbri, Shola Shoretire, and Joe Hugill.
So where does Lingard fit or, more importantly, who does he rank higher than within United's plethora of options?
Considering the form he has been in since the turn of the year, the 28-year-old should be ahead of the likes of Van de Beek, Mata, Diallo, Elanga, and Martial.
With Van de Beek and Lingard occupying similar roles, it would be foolish to have the Dutchman over Lingard in the pecking order, given the latter's blistering goal and creation record.
Previously, Martial and Lingard rarely occupied the same areas, with the Englishman playing a lot of time at United on the right-wing or as an attacking midfielder.
But while on loan at West Ham and even for Solskjaer at times, Lingard has played as a left-winger or occasionally a false-nine.
Given the form Martial has been in for the past 12 months, it would be a mistake to grant him playing more often time than a red-hot Lingard.
Even though some of the other players mentioned do have youth on their side, the addition of Ronaldo must put United into a win-now mode.
Will Lingard be starting every single week? Of course not. But should he be available off the bench and get minutes in cup games, especially as Rashford recovers from shoulder surgery? Definitely.
Lingard in this calendar year has arguably been one of the best players in the Premier League. United should embrace the luxury of bringing on a player of this calibre to finish games off, reduce the chance of injuries and enhance their overall prospects when competing on four fronts.
Even though it was easy to make a case for selling Lingard to West Ham, they did not meet his £25million valuation. United should take advantage of having a player of Lingard’s level to be a rotation option.
Plus, we will get plenty more excuses to pull out the adorable video of a young Lingard watching Ronaldo dazzling him with his footwork.
Do you think Lingard has a spot in Manchester United's squad? Follow our United Fan Brands editor Mike Parrott on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts on the title race following the signing of Ronaldo in the comments section below.
