Man Utd legend slams Everton 'transfer target' on social media for lack of game time

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has laid into Everton's reported transfer target Jesse Lingard on Instagram after a spell out of the game.

Lingard, 31, has been a free agent since the summer and hasn't featured in a competitive game since April 16, where he managed two minutes off the bench against his former club United, in a 2-0 defeat at the City Ground.

In terms of Everton, it was reported by talkSPORT last week that the former England international was a target for Sean Dyche's side. It was said that they were looking into the possibility of offering him a short-term deal until the end of the season as they are in a tough financial position and the loan and free agent market may be the only way they can conduct business at least until the summer.

But a lack of game time across the past year and a half will be an issue for Everton and any other club that would want to take on the attacker who managed 232 appearances for United. He trained with Steven Gerrard's side Al-Ettifaq at the end of 2023 as a way to regain his sharpness ahead of a potential move, but no move was ever seemingly on the table and he has been quietly working away waiting for his opportunity - something which Scholes has called him out for.

Lingard has posted several pictures of him working out in the gym on his Instagram across the last few months, but following his most recent post, which saw him doing a variety of exercises such as pull-ups, rows and press-ups in a state of the art gym in Dubai, Scholes couldn't help but comment below. 'Are you just gonna f***about in the gym or are you gonna actually play football?'.

He managed 20 games in all competitions under Steve Cooper last season, netting twice and providing two assists in what was a mostly uninspiring campaign. Plus, he was left out of action either out of the squad or on the bench for 11 of the final 12 games featuring for just the two minutes against his former side. His sizeable wages of around £200k-a-week, which is what he was reportedly on at Forest, make it difficult for any side to take him on and it certainly makes a move to Everton seem incredibly unlikely unless he takes a pay-cut.

Barcelona have emerged as a potential destination, with Lingard being offered to the La Liga giants; according to Sport, his £1.7m salary would fit in with the Spanish club's FFP restrictions and it remains to be seen what lies ahead for the future. But before he posts another gym photo montage, he may want to return to the pitch if he wants to avoid the wrath of Scholes.