JESSE LINGARD reportedly REJECTED a permanent move to West Ham to stay and fight for his Manchester United future.
The England man enjoyed a stunning loan spell with the Hammers last season that thrust him back into contention for Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 squad.
Unfortunately after making the provisional squad, he failed to make the final cut.
He did however feature off the bench for the 4-0 World Cup qualifying win against Hungary last week.
Now, 90min.com is reporting that Lingard ‘made it clear to the club that he did not want to return to the London Stadium’.
The 28-year-old apparently ‘communicated to joint chairman David Sullivan personally’ with his intentions.
Lingard has even more competition in the attacking positions at Old Trafford following the arrival of returning hero Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Warrington-born star has played just four minutes so far this season, coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Southampton.
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After West Ham were spurned in their pursuit of Lingard, they decided to shell out £25.7million for Nikola Vlasic.
West Ham decided not to wait around for a late change of mind from Lingard in case they got caught out.
As a result, they completed the deal for former Everton man Vlasic which could rise to £33m if add-ons are met.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk