Jesse Lingard can still give Manchester United a farewell they don't deserve

When Jesse Lingard showed the ingenuity that so much of his game is based on to set up Cristiano Ronaldo for his dramatic winner against Villarreal it looked like a matter of time until he was starting games for Manchester United.

Ronaldo's 95th-minute strike against the La Liga side stole the headlines, but it was only possible because Lingard had come off the bench and once again made an impact, managing to tee up Ronaldo despite being off-balance.

That came 10 days after he'd come off the bench to score a late winner of his own at West Ham, curling in a brilliant shot to beat his former club. It was already his second goal of the season and having been promised opportunities by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the decision to stay over the summer was beginning to look a shrewd one.

At that stage of the season, when United's campaign was only teetering on the brink of implosion, there was an argument that Lingard was one of the most important players. When the season fell apart his energetic enthusiasm and ability to link play between midfield and attack could have been valued.

Instead, he's made only eight substitute appearances since his contribution against Villarreal on September 29, never entering the action earlier than the 76th minute. No wonder Lingard is furious at the way he's been treated by United this season.

He's not alone at Carrington in wondering why he hasn't been trusted, particularly by Solskjaer. United should have cashed in last summer if this was the plan for Lingard. He will walk away for nothing this summer instead and although he's spent 22 years of his life at his boyhood club, you can't imagine the tears will flow after the last few months.

Had United not demanded such a significant survival bonus from