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Rob DawsonCorrespondent
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has sanctioned the loan of Jesse Lingard from Manchester United during the January transfer window and the final decision now rests with the club’s board, sources told ESPN.
Solskjaer has wanted to keep Lingard at Old Trafford ahead of a busy second half of the season, but, after speaking with the midfielder, agreed that he should be allowed to move to find regular first-team football.
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Despite great interest from abroad, the 28-year-old Lingard is eager to stay in the Premier League and Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion are among a host of suitors.
England coach Gareth Southgate and assistant Steve Holland have made enthusiastic references to various coaches after Lingard played a key role in the race to the World Cup semifinals in 2018.
A final decision on Lingard’s immediate future is expected to be made in the coming days. Lingard has found opportunities hard to come by this season, presenting three times and starting twice.
His two starts have been in the cups, against Luton in the Carabao Cup in September and against Watford in the FA Cup earlier this month. He has yet to play in the Premier League this season and was last included in the match day squad for a league game against Aston Villa on New Years Day.
United activated a one-year extension on Lingard’s contract before Christmas that will keep him at the club until 2022, but he is desperate for first-team football and has asked permission to leave on loan.
He has scored 33 goals in 210 games for United since joining the academy and making his debut for Louis van Gaal in 2014. He scored crucial goals in the 2016 FA Cup final with Van Gaal and the 2017 League Cup final with Jose Mourinho.
A 24-time international with England, sources have told ESPN that Southgate and the Netherlands are eager for Lingard to get regular games and get back in the fight for the national team.
