Jesse Lingard has agreed an improved contract with Manchester United which takes his earnings to $125k per week.
England international Jesse Lingard, 24, has signed a four-year contract with a pay raise according to the BBC. In the past year he scored in the finals of the FA and EFL Cups, and in the Community Shield.
But he only has one goal and two assists in the Premier League this season. Has the young midfielder earned a contract worth a total of $6.5m a year?
There’s no doubt that Manchester United can afford it. They are the richest club in the world, topping the latest Deloitte Money League with revenues of £515.3m ($638.7m). They also pay Wayne Rooney three times as much as Lingard is getting for his new deal even though the former Evertonian hasn’t contributed much this season.
Lingard definitely ranks well in terms of creating chances. He has averaged 2.4 key passes for every ninety minutes played this season. This puts him in the top ten Premier League attacking midfielders. He’s fewer than 0.5 key passes behind top established players like David Silva, Phillipe Coutinho, and team-mate Juan Mata.
His manager, Jose Mourinho, loves hard-working players, and Lingard averages a total of 2.3 tackles and interceptions per ninety minutes. He offers more on this front than colleagues who play in similar positions, such as Mata (1.8), Marcus Rashford (1.5) and Anthony Martial (1.2).
Room for improvement?
His dribbling could use a little work though, as he’s only ranked 28th for completed dribbles by attacking midfielders in the Premier League this season. Considering the shooting opportunities he has had he should have scored more than a single league goal this season too.
But Manchester United are paying him more for his potential than for his past performance at this point. It’s also much less risky to retain a player you value rather than bringing a replacement in. There’s always a premium to pay when dealing with young English talent in the Premier League.