13 January 2024 , 01:00
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Paul Scholes' war of words with Jesse Lingard continued on Friday, a few short days after laying into the former Manchester United man on social media
“Are you just gonna f*** about in the gym or are you gonna actually play football?” Scholes asked under a social media post from the 31-year-old earlier in the week. Lingard has been without a club since his one-year deal with Nottingham Forest ended at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season.
Lingard, who came through United's academy, has been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia and the United States. Nothing has materialised, though, and he remains a free agent midway through the January transfer window.
After being called out by Scholes once, the playmaker shared a fresh photo with a ball at his feet. This wasn't enough to get the former England international fully on his side, though.
"There we go Jess... a ball," Scholes wrote underneath the post. Unflustered, Lingard replied that "my other post was a ball".
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Scholes didn't stop there, though. "You just need 10 more lads with you now," he added, drawing attention to the fact that Lingard's wait for a club goes on.
Along with a collage of pictures, Lingard shared a written message on one slide of his Instagram post. "Discipline is explaining to your brain everyday that you need to sacrifice immediate pleasures to receive greater rewards in the future" it read.
Where will Jesse Lingard end up next? Have your say in the comments section
Lingard started last season as a starter for Nottingham Forest, but was out of the first team long before the end of the season. After recovering from injury in January, he played less than 90 minutes before the end of the campaign and was an unused substitute on many occasions.
"I've never ruled out any team or club out, so for me it's just picking the right team and it's got to be right for me," Lingard told Sky Sports during the summer transfer window. "I just want to play football at the end of the day and that's all I want to do. Obviously the project has got to be well suited for me, the team's got to be moving in the right direction but just regular game-time - I'm still hungry."
Catalan outlet Sport surprisingly linked Lingard with Barcelona, while he has also trained with Saudi side Al-Ettifaq. The Steven Gerrard-managed outfit brought in a number of former Premier League stars ahead of the current season, including Jordan Henderson and Demarai Gray, but they are languishing in mid-table in the Saudi Pro League having fallen away after a fast start.