Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker has hit out at Jesse Lingard, dubbing him “Mr Instagram” and urging him to leave Old Trafford.
The 29-year-old has had an up-and-down career at Old Trafford, having had some spells of excellent form that made him a first-team regular for the club, though he’s been out of favour for a while now.
Lingard also had a superb loan stint at West Ham in the second half of last season, and it’s clear he has more to offer than he has at Man Utd for a while now.
Parker seems to be shifting the blame onto the player, however, suggesting that he needs to take some responsibility over his future and get off Instagram.
Speaking to My Betting Sites, as quoted by the Metro, Parker said: “I think Jesse Lingard needs to go. He’s almost 30.
“You can’t just be one of the names at Manchester United and be ‘Mr. Instagram’ around all these big names at a big club.
“He’s got to go out and prove that he wants to play football and he doesn’t need Manchester United around him. He needs to stop taking pictures and start becoming a footballer.
“If it means going to Newcastle, they can demand even more from him because he comes from Manchester United, good for him.
“They’re going to demand more from him because it seems that he wants to be Mr. Social Media and he’s going to have to demand more from himself.”
This seems a bit harsh on Lingard, and based more on people’s perceptions of Lingard than the reality of how the player conducts himself.