Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard ‘should be playing 40 to 45 games per season’, Gary Neville insists

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Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard should have left the club this summer as he needs to be playing 40 to 45 games a season, says Gary Neville.

The ex-United player and now pundit suggested the England international should find a new club in the next transfer window and he has doubled down on the idea. Lingard, 28, was a substitute for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in their Premier League match against West Ham, who Lingard played for on loan last season, and scored to clinch the game 2-1 on Sunday.

It came after Lingard, who has only played 63 minutes across all competitions so far this season, was brought on in their Champions League defeat by Young Boys – a mistake from the midfielder costing them the match.

“I still maintain he should’ve left, but he will have his moments,” Neville said on his Sky Sports podcast. “I was happy to see how he bounced back after what happened in Europe in midweek.

“To bounce back and score the winner is a fantastic moment for him. He’s got good character, he’s a very good player and I feel he should be playing 40-45 games a season.

“He won’t get that at United in terms of 90-minute starts, but he’s one of those players that I do feel United will benefit from having. I just thought for Jesse himself, he should’ve left. United could be a better team with someone like Lingard in it.”

In Lingard’s loan spell at the Hammers he scored nine goals in 16 appearances and there were rumours he would make a permanent move to the London side. However, West Ham manager David Moyes has said the deal was nowhere near being finalised.

He said: “Ole made it quite clear to me early in the transfer window that he wanted to keep him. So I knew pretty early that he would be staying at Manchester United.

“I was hearing all the stuff, but I had a private conversation with Ole, who made it clear he was staying.”