Manchester United's Jesse Lingard agrees to join West Ham on loan: reports

West Ham have agreed a deal in principle with Manchester United to sign Jesse Lingard on loan for the rest of the season. PA

West Ham have agreed a deal in principle with Manchester United to sign Jesse Lingard on loan for the rest of the season, the Press Association reported.

The England international has not played a single league match for the Manchester club this season, making only three appearances in the League Cup and FA Cup.

The 28-year-old fell out of favour with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was limited to nine league starts in the previous season.

The clubs have yet to confirm the deal but Lingard posted a picture on Instagram of the Sky Sports report that had a mocked-up image of him in the kit of West Ham.

He added a short video of his packed bags with the captions "London bound" and "#HammerTime."

Lingard, who has 24 caps, said on social media in July last year that he was "lost as a player and person" during the previous campaign.

His contract at Manchester United ends in June 2022.

Hammers boss David Moyes wants Lingard, a player he knows from his time in charge at the Red Devils, to strengthen his squad as they look to build on their impressive start to the season.

PA reported that West Ham have agreed to pay United a £1.5million loan fee and cover Lingard's wages.

First West Ham must free up a domestic loan space in their squad, which will see Said Benrahma complete his permanent move to the London Stadium.

Algerian forward Benrahma was signed initially on loan on deadline day during the last transfer window after an issue with his medical, with the move set to be made permanent in the summer.

Defender Craig Dawson is West Ham's other loanee, from Watford, and his performances in their six-match winning run have also warranted a permanent deal.

________________

Man United v Sheffield United ratings

MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea - 6. Made first save of the evening – with his feet - from Billy Sharp after 16 minutes. Sharp later nudged him, but the Spaniard was still weak on the corner which led to Bryan’s opening goal. Was crowded out by Blades at every corner; a brutal, effective tactic. EPA

Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 6. Liveliest defender in attack and his 51st minute shot was deflected, but it were the defenders on the other team who were praised, not Manchester United’s. EPA

Harry Maguire - 6. Foul given against him for a challenge on Ramsdale when Maguire’s eyes were on the ball to negate Martial’s strike. Scored his first goal at Old Trafford with a powerful, accurate header, to equalise after 64. Poor before second goal, too. EPA

Axel Tuanzebe - 5. Started after Eric Bailly picked up a knock in training. Caught up in Bryan’s header before goal and booked for a poor challenge on Fleck just before half time. PA

Alex Telles - 6. Chance to shine but gave ball away after seven minutes. Fine ball over the defence for Fernandes, but not the attacking threat Shaw is. Quality outswinging corner set up Maguire’s equaliser and he had a 76th minute shot deflected onto the bar. Slow reaction before Blades’ winner. AP

Nemanja Matic - 5. Too ponderous in first half. Dropped back into central defence and stopped Burke with a last man tackle late on. Slow getting towards ball before Blades’ winner. AFP

Paul Pogba - 5. Poor performance and way below the levels of recent weeks. Didn’t create enough chances, despite all United’s possession. Defeat was a big disappointment after Sunday’s win against Liverpool. PA

Marcus Rashford - 5. Shot wide after 11, but made too little impact. Free-kick on the hour went straight at Ramsdale. Didn’t see Cavani’s run across the near post on 84. EPA

Bruno Fernandes - 6. Struggled to unpick the Blades but flicked a Telles ball into a danger area after 41. Often played amid the Blades’ five man defence without much joy. Incredible run back to dispossess Ampadu. Reuters

Mason Greenwood - 7. Super runs and fast feet as he was United’s best attacker in the first half. Shot wide after 48 when set up by Fernandes. Encouraging. AP

Anthony Martial - 4. Scored a hat-trick the last time the Blades visited, but had only managed two in 15 league games this season. First half tap in disallowed and he couldn’t get a header on target after being set up by Bruno on 42. Shifted left when Cavani arrived. Lamentable when getting back after losing ball before the Blades’ second. Reuters

SUBSTITUTES: Edinson Cavani (on for Greenwood 65') - N/A. Heavy touch knocked ball out of play on 79. AFP

Donny van de Beek (On for Tuanzebe 81') - N/A. Came on when Manchester United pushed to get back into the game. Luke Shaw (On for Telles 81') - N/A. EPA

SHEFFIELD UNITED RATINGS: Aaron Ramsdale - 7. Shaky moment with the disallowed goal aside, the Englishman held on to the majority of shots that came his way. AP

Chris Basham - 7. So often produced impeccable tackles with his most important being a nice interception in the 71st minute to help prevent Man United from going 2-1 up. PA

Ethan Ampadu - 8. Rarely put a foot wrong from his timing in challenges to how he’s able to read the game and put pressure on opposition strikers. AP

Phil Jagielka - 6. The 38-year-old has clearly slowed down in his veteran years and lost track of Maguire for the equaliser, but he did make a few vital blocks in the dying moments of the game. PA

George Baldock - 8. In addition to playing a key role in the winner, Baldock fought for every loose ball and was one of the most committed players on the pitch. AP

Kean Bryan - 8. His speed and box-to-box style was only topped by his flawless header to give the visitors the lead in the 23rd minute. EPA

John Lundstram - 7. Lundstram sat deep and couldn’t get to grips with the pace of the game in the first half, but in the second, he was one of the driving forces behind Wilder’s men physically intimidating Ole’s side. Getty

Oliver Norwood - 8. Showcased good energy, great vision and the sort of grit this team desperately needs in the midst of a relegation battle. AP

John Fleck - 9. From carrying Sheffield United into the Red Devils’ half to producing a gorgeous assist for Bryan’s opener, Fleck looked to be back to his best on Wednesday night. PA

David McGoldrick - 5. With limited movement, an inability to hold up the ball and poor finishing, the veteran forward struggled at Old Trafford. Getty

Billy Sharp - 6. After testing de Gea in the 17th minute before almost fouling him in the lead-up to the Blades’ opener, Sharp rarely offered much in the final third. AFP

SUBSTITUTES: Jayden Bogle - 6. Was beaten for pace on a few occasions but caused some problems when pushing the ball into the corner. AP

Oliver Burke - 7. Made the perfect impact with a strong strike that found its way into the back of the net to win the game for the Blades. Rhian Brewster - N/A. Showed a lot of energy but wasn’t really given much time to shine on the ball.