Gary Neville faces backlash for claiming some Manchester United supporters aren’t ‘really’ fans

For some reason, Jesse Lingard severely divides opinion.

The Manchester United man is hard-working, committed, provides important cover in a number of positions, and has a knack for scoring important goals. That said, there are just as many United supporters who feel he is a weak link in the current squad as there are fans who love to see a homegrown talent starring for the club. That is the nature of football fandom and everyone is entitled to their opinion. One of the joys of the national game is that it generates such disagreement and debate. That Lingard in particular attracts such strong feelings is perhaps a little bizarre, but his new contract at United certainly stirred up discussion about his worth. The 24-year-old has committed to his boyhood club for four more years in a deal worth anywhere between £75k and £100k a week, and that is either well deserved or obscene, depending on your point of view. Although, Old Trafford alum Gary Neville was surprised when journalist Mark Ogden highlighted a divide in opinion. https://twitter.com/GNev2/status/850276498481176577 The Sky Sports pundit went on to suggest that people who were unhappy about Lingard's new deal were not really Manchester United fans if that was their standpoint, highlighting the fact that the energetic midfielder had been at the club since he was a young child. https://twitter.com/GNev2/status/850280942455275520 Although many responded with tweets making the case for and against Lingard, highlighting his strengths and weaknesses, quite a number took exception to that fact that Neville was questioning whether fans were legitimately supporters of the club based on their point of view. They were upset that their allegiance was being questioned. https://twitter.com/Tim_Pardoe/status/850284196975214593 https://twitter.com/steward001/status/850357696276692993 https://twitter.com/DHardcastle/status/850281714140229632 https://twitter.com/Tim_Johnson16/status/850313394985062404 https://twitter.com/Robbie_Thompson/status/850281404843917312 https://twitter.com/brahmadrunk/status/850327997890560000 https://twitter.com/EEMufCPM/status/850323127741673473 https://twitter.com/Tim_Johnson16/status/850312792204861441 https://twitter.com/JaydnMUFC/status/850283740463075329 https://twitter.com/IamLeeJordan/status/850296331759386629 It's true what they say about opinions being like arseholes - everyone else's stinks.