Manchester United Star Rejects Contract Extension After Losing Position To Bruno Fernandes: Report

Jesse Lingard has reportedly rejected a contract extension from Manchester United and could leave the club for free at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Lingard wants to be assured of enough opportunities before making a final decision about his future at Manchester United, unnamed sources told ESPN. International Business Times, however, could not verify the information independently.

Lingard's current contract with the Red Devils is due to end in 2022 summer and if he fails to sign an extension, he'll be free to negotiate with clubs outside England from Jan. 1.

At the recently concluded 2021 summer transfer window, a series of foreign and Premier League clubs were interested in signing Lingard but the Red Devils did not entertain them, according to soccer website Teamtalk.

It was earlier reported that Manchester United are keen on retaining Lingard and want their academy graduate to fight for a place in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad.

The 28-year-old attacking midfielder, who has made over 200 competitive appearances for Manchester United, is keen on playing club soccer regularly in order to ensure he gets picked for Gareth Southgate's England squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Earlier this year, Lingard narrowly missed out on a place in England's Euros 2020 squad as the Three Lions made it to the final but lost to Italy 1-0.

Lingard, who joined Manchester United's youth set up as a seven-year-old in 2000, rose through the ranks and has now been a part of their first team for nearly six seasons. Despite that, he has struggled to cement his place permanently in the Red Devils' XI. His struggles only increased to find a place on Solskjaer's side with the arrival of Bruno Fernandes. The Portuguese midfielder, who moved from Sporting to Old Trafford in January 2020, has a similar role to Lingard.

After making two League Cup and a FA Cup appearance and failing to receive a Premier League game last season, Lingard was allowed to leave for West Ham during the winter market. Following his temporary move in January, Lingard flourished at the St. Mary's Stadium side, scoring nine times and providing five assists in just 16 appearances. Lingard even won both the Premier League player of the month and Premier League goal of the month awards for April.