Roy Keane points out Jesse Lingard's mistake as Man Utd slammed over "unfair" treatment

Roy Keane insists Jesse Lingard made a mistake in not leaving Manchester United last summer after the midfielder contradicted Ralf Rangnick to explain his absence from first-team selection.

Lingard did not leave the club in the January transfer window despite interest from West Ham and Newcastle who both attempted to sign the England international.

It was a remarkable twist in the midfielder’s future after United interim boss Ralf Rangnick gave Lingard his blessing to leave the club ahead of the window closing.

West Ham – where Lingard netted nine goals in 16 appearances last season on a loan spell – joined Newcastle in the race to sign the 29-year-old, but neither were successful in their pursuits.

United boss Rangnick then said at a press conference on Thursday that Lingard had been given a few days off to “clear his mind” and would be back in training by Monday.

Rangnick said: "Jesse asked if we could give him a couple of days off to clear his mind. He will be back in training on Monday and part of the whole squad.”

Lingard clarified his absence from the squad via his Twitter account on Thursday: “Lingard wrote on his Twitter account: “The club advised me to have time off due to personal reasons!

“But my headspace is clear and I’ll always be professional when called upon and give 100 percent.”

Former United captain Keane has now highlighted that Lingard’s problems all stem from his mistake of not leaving Old Trafford last summer.

That was after the player returned from his loan spell at West Ham but stayed at United, with whom he has not started a Premier League match since January 2020.

Lingard actually fell further behind in United’s attacking pecking order this season following the arrivals of Jadon