Jesse Lingard might think he’s ‘too big for Leicester’ amid rumours of Manchester United swap deal for James Maddison – Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy does not think swapping Jesse Lingard plus cash for James Maddison would work, because the Manchester United midfielder might consider himself ‘too big’ for Leicester.

The Red Devils have reportedly offered out-of-form Lingard plus £45million to sign Maddison this month, according to the Mirror.

However, Murphy suggests Lingard probably sees himself at a ‘bigger club’, despite scoring just one goal in the past 12 months.

“In terms of the deal, I don’t think it would suit Leicester,” Murphy told talkSPORT. “They’d rather take the full fee and have a choice of lots of other players because Lingard’s 27.

“I don’t think Leicester’s recruitment would go for someone like Lingard if they had all the money sat in the bank.

“On the flip side, you look at what Lingard has achieved in the last few years, although this season has been poor.

“Playing for England consistently, playing for Manchester United consistently… I think he’d probably see himself at a bigger club than Leicester.

“They’re progressing and they’re doing brilliantly, but I’m trying to put myself in his shoes and I think he’ll feel he’s bigger than Leicester.”

And while Murphy insists Lingard is more gifted than his recent statistics suggest, he admits there can still be no comparison with Maddison.

He added: “He [Lingard] was a first-choice for Gareth Southgate for a good while.

Danny Murphy: James Maddison is worth more than Jadon Sancho

“But his end product has never been good enough to maintain a place in the Man United side.

“Is he better than Maddison? No. Maddison’s end product is superb.

“He’s a brilliant passer of the ball, gets assists all the time, takes brilliant set-plays, and he scores goals.

“So it’s a no-brainer, Maddison over Lingard.”