Jason Cundy, a former Chelsea defender, has condemned Manchester United as a ‘laughing stock’ and a ‘shambles’ following Jesse Lingard’s public denial of Ralf Rangnick’s explanation for why he was given a week’s vacation earlier this month.
The Red Devils playmaker missed Friday’s FA Cup fourth-round encounter against Middlesbrough after failing to arrange a loan move abroad during the January transfer window.
Lingard allegedly approached Rangnick at the start of the year to express his desire to join another club with the intention of establishing a regular playing schedule.
The England ace was said to be anxious to leave Old Trafford in order to increase his chances of joining England’s World Cup team in Qatar this year.
He was finally rebuffed by Rangnick, who chose to keep Lingard at the club despite the 29-year-contract old’s expiring in six months.
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Newcastle and West Ham attempted unsuccessfully to recruit him on a temporary basis towards the conclusion of the January window, with United adamant about retaining his services until the end of the campaign.
Rangnick followed by claiming that Lingard was given a week off to clear his head before rejoining the team in the near future, a claim promptly denied by the player.
Cundy has already launched a blistering assault on United, stating unequivocally that players would not be coming out in the manner in which Lingard has done if Sir Alex Ferguson were in charge.
“What’s really interesting is one side, the manager, is saying he’s asked for time off,” he told talkSPORT on Friday.
“And the player absolutely contradicts that and refutes anything like that by saying the club asked him to take time off.
“The club is a shambles. This is shambolic. This would never happen under Sir Alex.
“The player saying one thing, Sir Alex coming out and saying another? The club is a laughing stock.
“Any United fan must be hearing that Rangnick press conference and thinking: ‘What is going on at my football club?’
“FA Cup games are different, but when you’ve got the manager saying one thing and the player saying another within hours of each other, you’ve got yourself a massive problem.
“That’s why Man United right now are in the mess they are.”
