Manchester United announce Pogba and Lingard departure
Manchester United have announced the departure of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, as they prepare for the next chapter under Erik Ten Hag. Both players are set to leave for free, given that their contracts expire this summer, and the club is unwilling to extend either.
Whilst Lingard will leave Old Trafford after 20 years at the club, Pogba’s second spell has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride.
“Manchester United can confirm that Jesse Lingard will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of June. An academy graduate and dyed-in-the-wool Red, Jesse has been with United for over 20 years, having originally joined our Under-9s team in 2001,” a statement from the club website read.
Lingard, who made his debut for Manchester United at the tender age of 21, was pushed to the peripheries of the squad under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. A revival loan carousel at West Ham – one of the clubs interested in his services – had him back in the team’s plans. However, just 22 appearances in all competitions this season meant that Lingard spent most of his time on the bench. Newcastle United are also in the race for the midfielder.
Pogba joined the Manchester United academy in 2009, before leaving for Juventus as a free agent. Signed for a whopping £89 million, the Frenchman won two trophies with the club and worked through issues both on and off the field.
Pogba’s tribute note from the club stated “The club can announce that Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United at the end of June, upon the expiry of his contract. Everyone at the club would like to congratulate Paul on his successful career, and thank him for his contributions to Manchester United. We wish him all the best for the next steps on a remarkable journey.”
Now 29, Pogba is still one of the most technically gifted midfielders in the world. Real Madrid, who have been long standing admirers of the World Cup winner, alongside Paris Saint-Germain are strongly linked with him.
Former club Juventus are in the mix as well, and should he re-sign with them, it’ll be a full circle completed after six years away from Turin. Recent reports from Goal claim that the Old Lady are offering £6.3 million per season for a three-year contract.
Regardless of where the players go, the message is clear at Manchester United: a new era is coming under Erik Ten Hag.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: Станислав Ведмидь. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.