Time's up! Jesse Lingard leaves Steven Gerrard's Al-Ettifaq at the end of one-month training contract with permanent transfer off the table

• Lingard to leave Al-Ettifaq
• Foreign players' quota is full at the moment
• High wages are also a stumbling block

WHAT HAPPENED? According to Ben Jacobs, the former Manchester United striker will be on his way out as the club have no more room to accommodate a foreign star. Saudi Pro League clubs are allowed to have a maximum of eight overseas players in their squad and Al-Ettifaq currently have 10. Moreover, his wages are deemed to be way off the budget which is preventing the team management from pushing for a move in January.

No pre-contract will be offered to the player and Lingard will have to leave when his current training stint ends with the club amid rumours that he would be handed a deal in 2024.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: After his contract with Nottingham Forest expired in the summer, Lingard engaged in training with West Ham with the hopes of earning a contract. Notably, he had previously played on loan for the Hammers during the second half of the 2020/21 season. Afterwards, he journeyed to Saudi Arabia where he had been training for a month alongside familiar faces like Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum under the watchful eye of Gerrard.

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WHAT NEXT? After another rejection, Lingard's future is uncertain and it remains to be seen if he is able to find a club ahead of the January transfer window.