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20th January 2023
10:33am GMT
Jesse Lingard has detailed everything that was wrong with Man United in recent years, especially the touch culture that seemed to engulf the club.
The England striker was speaking openly on the The Diary of a CEO Podcast about his career, life and time in football. Naturally the conversation turned to the turmoil-riddled years where United seemed to have imploded, defeats followed defeat and every day negative news stories were being leaked to the media.
"There was no control,' Lingard said of his years at the club. 'When Ferguson was there, it was full control. A fortress - everything went through him. Contracts, commercial deals, everything.
"Of course, generations change, players grow up and people have a voice. When things are getting said about you that are not true, you are going to voice your opinion.
"It wouldn't have happened back in the day - it would have been squashed there and then with Sir Alex. But now, people have got platforms to voice their own opinion and write what they want."
"They're so behind on everything," he said. "You see City's facilities, Tottenham's facilities... people are miles ahead. Even the social side of things.
"I went to them in 2017 about YouTube and doing content - I just wanted them to get up to date with everything and the new things that are happening. You have to be relevant and stay relevant.'
Lingard also cited close friend and former United disappointment, Paul Pogba as an example of just how far the club had fallen.
https://twitter.com/SteveBartlettSC/status/1615983261934649344"There was no control, no structure, people doing what they want - it was like a free-for-all,' he said.
"People staying stuff that had never happened at United, people saying stuff on Twitter, what happened with Paul - he got a lot of scrutiny but the guy is one of the best midfielders in the world.
"I've known him since he was like 16 - the kid has got talent, one of the best midfielders in the world and still he can't perform at United. So there's something wrong in some ways if he can't perform.
"Then during the season he goes to France and see how he plays there. I can't say what it is. I enjoyed my time under Jose there."
"We don't know [who's calling the shots],' Lingard revealed. 'And of course now they want to sell the club. We were just behind on a lot of things. Players didn't really take a view.
"You want that modern things, you want the things that are popping off at the time but we don't know who calls the shots on the training ground and that sort of thing. Flash training ground, best facilities, no-one talking in the press about the team."
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