Rio Ferdinand believes Jesse Lingard "ain't going nowhere near Arsenal" due to the on-loan West Ham midfielder's 2019 moonwalk celebration and subsequent social media post saying that the Emirates Stadium was now his “dance floor”.
Lingard's infamous celebration came in Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup victory, and Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno admitted that Arsenal’s players used it as motivation en route to a 2-0 win over Man Utd a few months later in the Premier League.
With Lingard now in fine form while on loan with West Ham, Arsenal have been reportedly interested in hijacking a move for the midfielder, but Ferdinand doesn't believe there's any chance that he'd be welcome at the Emirates.
What did Ferdinand have to say?
“Yeah but you know what, they [Arsenal fans] wouldn’t have him there," Ferdinand said on Vibe With FIVE.
“The way he moonwalked off that pitch once, they wouldn’t have it. The fans would rip the place apart. He disrespected the Emirates in a way that hadn’t been seen.
“Listen, West Ham will have a fight to get him, by the way, because I think other teams are going to be like: ‘Listen, we want him!’
“He’s not going to go to Arsenal over West Ham, obviously but there will be other teams. He ain’t going nowhere near Arsenal.”
Lingard's success at West Ham
Lingard made the move to West Ham in January, joining on a loan deal for the rest of the season after finding playing time scarce under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United.
He's been a revelation since arriving in London as he's scored eight goals and provided three assists in nine appearances while firing the Hammers right into the race for a Champions League spot.
Thanks to his recent form, Lingard has become the subject of various transfer rumours, although he is set to return to Manchester United at the end of the season.
West Ham are reportedly interested in keeping hold of the England midfielder while Arsenal, Real Madrid and Inter are also among the teams linked with a move for Lingard.
Further reading
- Man Utd might want Lingard back but he'll have to settle for bit-part role - Neville
- Man Utd told to take 'more money than was expected' for Lingard
- 'I used to do this dance after a load of Bacardi and Coke' - Keane mocks Lingard celebration
