"65-year-old manager against a disco-dancing player" - Simon Jordan on conflict between Ralf Rangnick and Jesse Lingard at Manchester United

Talksport pundit Simon Jordan has sided with Ralf Rangnick and backed the German manager for dropping Jesse Lingard from the Manchester United squad against Middlesbrough.

The Manchester United attacker was a seeking a move away from the club for regular football, but a deal failed to materialize. Rangnick came out and said in his press conference that Lingard asked the club for a break to “clear his head.” However, Lingard later refuted the manager’s statement by claiming he was “advised” to take a take some time off.

Jordan believes Rangnick did the right thing by holding Lingard accountable for what he said:

“I don’t think there’s anything controversial about what Ralf Rangnick is saying. I think what players are being held to account to is the actual, literal interpretation of what they’re saying. There’s nothing controversial about this, I don’t think anyone has got it wrong. I think what it’s most likely is that he’s taken them [Lingard and Martial] literally."

“I look at this and say, it’s literality about this in terms of, a player says to a manager ‘I’m not in the right space to play’, the manager takes that literally and goes ‘right, okay, you’ve made yourself unavailable’ and calls the player out,” he added.

“This is a 65-year-old manager against a disco-dancing player who has not featured half the time in Man United’s squad. So I’m going to look at that and go, ‘hang on a second, he is literally holding you accountable for what you have said’,” added Jordan.

Jesse Lingard's playing time could further reduce at Manchester United

Manchester United suffered a shock exit at the hands of Middlesbrough in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Friday.

The Red Devils are now active in just two competitions – The Premier League and the Champions League – which means Lingard’s playing time might be further reduced.

The 29-year-old has not started a single game in the Premier League, and is not Ralf Rangnick’s preferred option.

Lingard has managed just two starts all season, and both have come in cup competitions. He featured in a dead-rubber game against BSC Young Boys in the Champions League group stage, and in a Carabao Cup game last year.

The attacker’s contract with the club runs out in July this year, but he will hope to get a few minutes between now and the end of the season to impress potential suitors.