KEY POINTS

  • Jesse Lingard wanted to leave Man Utd in January
  • West Ham and Newcastle submitted a bid each for Lingard on deadline day
  • Man Utd blocked Lingard's move due to Greenwood's unavailability

Manchester United interim boss Ralf Rangnick explained Thursday that Mason Greenwood's current situation had a role to play in blocking Jesse Lingard's transfer on the deadline day.

Greenwood was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of rape and sexual assault.

Lingard was close to leaving Manchester United during the January transfer window but the club blocked his move at the last moment, leaving the forward disappointed.

The Red Devils have given Lingard a couple of days off "to clear his head." He would miss Friday's FA Cup fourth-round tie with Middlesbrough.

"He asked me and the club if we could give him a couple of days off just to clear up his mind," Rangnick said in a pre-match conference, BBC Sport reported.

Lingard earlier took to social media to say that his "headspace is clear."

"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%," Lingard wrote on Twitter.

Due to a massive lack of game time at Manchester United, Lingard had hoped to part ways with his boyhood club in January. Newcastle and West Ham had even submitted a bid each for the player on the deadline day (Jan. 31).

In the end, Lingard did not get the move he wanted and Rangnick said the Greenwood situation was part of the reason.

"Three weeks ago Jesse didn't want to leave and then he changed his mind. I said at the time if he finds a club and a solution that suits us, we would allow him to leave. With the developments in the last couple of days, things changed. On Monday afternoon, the board said they wanted him to stay. We are without a player who has played regularly and also we couldn't get an agreement for any other club," added Rangnick.

Jesse Lingard
Manchester United's English midfielder Jesse Lingard (L) celebrates with Manchester United's Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo (R) after scoring their second goal during the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Manchester United at The London Stadium, in east London on September 19, 2021. Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images

Greenwood was arrested Sunday for allegedly raping a woman and assaulting her following allegations on social media. The Old Trafford forward was charged with sexual assault and making threats to kill on Tuesday. The 20-year-old was later released on bail pending further investigation, according to Sky Sports.

Speaking about Greenwood's situation, interim boss Rangnick said that the player's matter had been a "topic" within his squad but they had trained well this week.

"They are all human beings and up to the [international] break, Mason was part of the group," the German boss added further.

Manchester United, in an official statement earlier this week, said Greenwood "will not train with or play for the club until further notice."

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