Manchester United made no signings in the January transfer window, and with a top-four battle, FA Cup challenge, and Champions League round-of-16 qualification on the line, Ralf Rangnick will have to rely on his depleted team to produce success in the second half of the season.
During the winter break, the Red Devils are currently fourth in the table, with a game in hand over West Ham United, who are just one point behind them in fifth. It is critical for the Red Devils manager to take advantage of the opportunity to break away from their competition by securing a run of winning form.
When it comes to form, there have been a few players who have failed to live up to the high expectations placed on them when they joined the team in the summer, with Jadon Sancho being one of them.
The 21-year-old has been unable to replicate his success at Borussia Dortmund during his time at Old Trafford so far, scoring just two goals and providing no assists, and his performances have clearly declined when compared to his last season in the Bundesliga, when he scored 16 goals and provided 21 assists in 38 appearances.
Jesse Lingard, who was tipped to move to Newcastle United or West Ham several times during the transfer window, was reported to have been blocked by the board, and the 29-year-old, who was hailed “unique” by Manchester United legend Michael Carrick, will now see out the final five months of his contract at his boyhood club.
With the top four race and multiple competitions still in sight for the club, it could be the ideal time to unleash Lingard back into the team, especially since his attacking output this season is better than Sancho’s, with two goals and one assist in just 273 minutes of game time, which is nearly 1000 minutes less than Sancho’s so far.
We also saw the impact the £80k-per-week maestro had on West Ham during his loan spell, with nine goals and five assists in just 16 appearances in the final months of last season, and Rangnick desperately needs this consistent attacking output to ensure he can finish the season on a high for the club during his first eight months in charge as interim.
Manchester United will face Middlesbrough in the FA Cup on Friday evening, and it could be the ideal opportunity for the German coach to give Lingard a chance to shine and play a key role in ensuring that the team progresses to the next round with ease, giving the club a chance to win silverware for the first time in nearly five years.
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