Jesse Lingard was on the receiving end of a furious outburst from Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on Wednesday night, such was his performance in their Carabao Cup semi-final second-leg clash.
The midfielder, who has endured a difficult time on and off the pitch over the past year, was not on top of his game against Manchester City as United looked to overturn their first-leg defeat.
His frustrating performance did not go unnoticed on the sidelines and his manager, exasperated by the display, left the 27-year-old in no doubt as to what his opinions were.
With the game approaching the hour mark, Lingard conceded possession, allowing City to quickly break on the counter.
A relieved Lingard turned away from the attack after the hosts failed to capitalise, only to have his manager grab his attention on the touchline.
‘One more time and you’re f****** off,’ came the warning from Solskjaer.
The Norwegian was true to his word, with the England international withdrawn from the action less than 10 minutes later.
He attempted to console Lingard with a hug and a pat on the head, but the midfielder appeared upset with himself at the level of his display.
The initial incident was picked up on camera, but asked about it after the game, the United boss attempted to play down his anger.
‘Nah, it was just heat of the moment, (that happens) once in a while when you lose the ball,’ he told reporters.
‘We try to play more – the next moment him and Victor [Lindelof] grew in confidence and started playing. Once in a while you’re going to make mistakes.
‘But if you’re going to come here and just defend you’ve got no chance.
‘We created one or two dangerous moments the way we played out but that’s the way we want our boys to express themselves. We had to do that to release the pressure.’
It is not the first time this season that Lingard has struggled against City.
‘Nah, it was just heat of the moment, (that happens) once in a while when you lose the ball,’ he told reporters.
‘We try to play more – the next moment him and Victor [Lindelof] grew in confidence and started playing. Once in a while you’re going to make mistakes.
‘But if you’re going to come here and just defend you’ve got no chance.
‘We created one or two dangerous moments the way we played out but that’s the way we want our boys to express themselves. We had to do that to release the pressure.’
It is not the first time this season that Lingard has struggled against City.
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