Jesse Lingard told he should 'apologise to Manchester United' following his farewell
Jesse Lingard has been told he should apologise to Manchester United, after finally getting his emotional farewell at Old Trafford.
At the end of last season, it was extremely clear that Lingard was going to leave United, having joined them in the youth ranks and having appeared 231 times for them.
With his contract expiring and having played little football in the previous couple of years, the attacking midfielder was set to exit the club.
He may have expected to get on one last time but was denied the chance in their final home game of the campaign by Ralf Rangnick, which his brother certainly wasn't happy about.
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Speaking exclusively to SPORTbible, the Nottingham Forest star revealed that leaving the club had left him in tears and he felt he deserved the chance to say goodbye to the fans.
He was handed that chance on Tuesday night, with Erik ten Hag's side playing hosts to Forest with Lingard making his first appearance back at his former home ground.
The England international was taken off in the 53rd minute with an injury and was met with applause from the United fans as he made his way to the tunnel for treatment, and applauded back, in what felt like an actual farewell.
However, the 30-year-old has now been told he owes United an apology, by former United defender Paul Parker, who claimed the midfielder was never good enough for the club.
"Jesse Lingard wasn't disrespected at all at Man United, and for him to say that is totally wrong," Parker told BonusBetCodes
"He is a local boy, and now he is disrespecting the club instead of looking himself in the mirror.
"Jesse wasn't good enough to play for Man United, and he needs to acknowledge that instead of coming up with accusations about the club."
Lingard had stayed at United last season because he was told he would be getting first team football, having been in brilliant form on loan to West Ham the season before.
The former Leicester City loanee blamed 'toxic politics' around the club as one reason that the promises weren't kept, but again Parker wasn't having it.
"To talk about politics as the reasons why he was a failure is rubbish," the former full back added.
"You should never use that sentence when talking about football, and if he really wants to talk politics, he should go and talk to Gary Neville.
"One day, he will hopefully be mature enough to see that he disrespected the club by putting this in the newspaper and then should apologise to the club and the fans."
United, in a post Cristiano Ronaldo era, recommenced their Premier League campaign with a relatively easy 3-0 win over Steve Cooper's side.
It kicked off with a superb corner kick routine finished by Marcus Rashford, with Anthony Martial doubling the lead just minutes later.
United then took a while to add to their lead but a brilliant performance by Casemiro was rounded off when he set up Fred to make it 3-0 late in the game.
Topics: Jesse Lingard, Premier League, Nottingham Forest, Man Utd
Ryan Sidle