Solskjaer Insists On Keeping $25M Star At Manchester United For Next Season As Well

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted on keeping Jesse Lingard at Manchester United even beyond his current deal Thursday as he is a "red through and through."

Lingard’s current contract with Manchester United is due to end in the summer of 2022. He spent the second half of the last campaign at West Ham. The past week has been a roller coaster for Lingard. He contributed with a superb goal in Manchester United’s 4-1 win over Newcastle in the Premier League before coming under the scrutiny during the Red Devils’ Champions League trip to Bern.

Coming off the bench towards the end of the match against Swiss club Young Boys Tuesday, an error from Lingard led to Manchester United’s disappointing 2-1 loss.

However, Manchester United boss Solskjaer has backed Lingard to play an important role for his side in the remainder of the season.

"He’s got this season left on his contract, the club is talking to him and his dad and we see him as a Manchester United player in the future. Jesse has come back into us after a great spell at West Ham. He’s shown his qualities and is back in the England squad, he scored goals for England and we really want to see the best of Jesse this season. We support him and want to keep him here with us. He’s a red through and through," Solskjaer was quoted by Manchester United’s media, as saying in an interview.

So far in the 2021-22 campaign, Lingard has made three appearances for Manchester United.

It was earlier reported that Lingard has turned down an extension from Manchester United as he first wants assurance of enough opportunities before making a final decision regarding his future at Old Trafford. Lingard, who is a graduate of Manchester United’s academy, has a current market value of around $25 million, according to Transfermarkt.

Solskjaer’s side is at the top of the Premier League table, with three victories and a draw. The Old Trafford side is set to take a trip to London to take on West Ham in the league on Sunday.

The boss has confirmed that Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani will miss the upcoming game against West Ham as well but the former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) star is expected to return to action next week. Cavani has played only 37 minutes this season as he works himself back to full fitness.

"Edinson hopefully will start training with us after the weekend. Hopefully on Monday. Maybe he will be involved on Wednesday [against West Ham in the Carabao Cup]. He had a fantastic season with the impact he made when he got his fitness. He struggled early on with fitness, with niggling injuries and now we feel to get the best out of Edinson this season we need him 100% fit and not push him," said Solskjaer.