Former Manchester United star closing in on move to join ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson at Al-Ettifaq – Reports
Ex-Manchester United star Jesse Lingard is allegedly close to teaming up with ex-Liverpool star Jordan Henderson at Al-Ettifaq in the future.
Lingard, 30, has been available on a free transfer since leaving Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2022-23 season. He spent time training with DC United and West Ham United over the past couple of weeks.
Now, the Manchester United academy graduate is training with Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq with the hope of bagging a full-time contract.
According to 90min, Al-Ettifaq have started the process of handing Lingard a brand new deal. They are believed to offer the Englishman a contract if he can prove his fitness at their facilities over the next few weeks.
Earlier this week, Liverpool legend and Al-Ettifaq boss Steven Gerrard was queried about the former Manchester United man's future. He responded to Saudi Arabian television channel Al Arabiya:
"We know Jesse Lingard extremely well from England. I've watched him for many years so I'm aware of his talent. Jesse is out of a club, he's not contracted, so he's free to train with anyone else."
Shedding light on Al-Ettifaq's plans about Lingard, Gerrard continued:
"He's coming to use our club facilities, train with our players and maintain his fitness. That also gives us an opportunity to analyse where he's at right now. We plan to do that in the coming weeks."
Lauding the versatile midfielder, the ex-Liverpool captain concluded:
"Jesse knows that there's an opportunity for him to try and convince us to come to the club. It's something that we're analysing and we haven't made a decision on that yet. We're delighted to have him, he's a fantastic footballer and we'll analyse the situation closely."
Lingard, who lifted four trophies at Manchester United, started 14 of his 20 overall appearances for Nottingham Forest last campaign. He registered two goals and as many assists in 1114 minutes of action as well.
Henderson, on the other hand, has relished a fine start as Al-Ettifaq's new captain. The 33-year-old has registered five assists in seven games for his team, following his £12 million switch from Liverpool recently.
Manchester United, Liverpool set to battle it out in race to sign Brentford's Aaron Hickey
According to the Mirror, Manchester United and Liverpool are hoping to lure Aaron Hickey from Brentford in the future. They are also set to be challenged by Arsenal and Bayern Munich in the coming months.
Should the Scotsman join the Red Devils in the near future, he would provide solid competition to Diogo Dalot and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. He would, however, serve as a backup to Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool.
Hickey, 21, has popped up as one of the most promising wing-backs in the Premier League since joining the Bees from Bologna in a potential £18 million deal in 2022. He has made 34 appearances for Thomas Frank's side so far, providing one assist in the process.