Jesse Lingard’s star continues to rise after the Manchester United forward has emerged as a key part of Gareth Southgate’s England team during this summer’s World Cup. The Warrington-born 25-year old contributed a stunning strike during a 6-1 demolition of Panama in the group stages, and featured for the full 120 minutes of Tuesday’s nail-biting last 16 tie with Colombia, which England eventually won on penalties. This comes after Lingard experienced his most prolific season for his club, bagging 13 goals for Jose Mourinho’s side during the course of the last campaign. This led the Portuguese to make him a key part of his side, and the England international made 48 appearances for United as a result.
Now, as a result of Lingard’s ever-increasing status and importance to both club and country, United are set to offer him a new deal that would double his current wages, according to a report in The Sun.
According to an Old Trafford source, the new deal is recognition of the level that Lingard has reached under Mourinho: “Jesse has shown that he is a top class performer on and off the pitch. He has a fabulous season for the club last year and has taken that form onto the international stage so far. His England showings has been brilliant and the club know he is all set to become a global star if he continues.”
Considering that Lingard only put pen-to-paper on a new deal in April of 2017, it’s a testament to the player’s development that United are willing to double his wages from £75,000 to £150,000. The sheer quality of the goals that the former Derby County, Birmingham City and Leicester City loanee has provided in the last 12 months has been hugely impressive, and unlike previous years, Lingard has been able to maintain his performance level for longer, becoming a more consistent threat and performer at the same time. In that sense, this new deal is surely well-deserved.
