'Stick insect with muscle power of a poodle!' Piers Morgan responds to Jesse Lingard 'punch' wish

Broadcaster Piers Morgan has hit back at Man United forward Jesse Lingard, calling him a "stick insect with the muscle power of a poodle", after the England international took a swipe saying he would like to punch the 54-year-old.

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Mouthy Morgan, presenter on UK morning chat show GMB, was responding to a video in which Lingard was asked “If you had to punch a famous person, who would it be?”, to which the 26-year-old winger confirmed it would be the cocksure former newspaper editor, much to the delight of the audience in attendance.

After the video was published on Twitter, a miffed Morgan, who recently coached the Rest of the World side to victory in the Soccer Aid charity match, swiftly told Lingard to "cut the Mike Tyson chat", and proceed to ridicule the FA Cup-winner's physique. 

"Mate, you’re a 5ft 7in, 128 lb stick insect with the muscle power of a neutered Poodle. So maybe cut the Mike Tyson chat, yeah?" Morgan sneered.

The comment was met with amusement from the Twitterati, as was Morgan's decision to criticize and body of a professional athlete despite sporting an ample figure that has often been lampooned in the media. 

Morgan's friend and former cricket captain Kevin Pieterson expressed his delight at the exchange, while one reply jokingly called for UFC boss Dana White to make the fight happen.

That comment may not be too far-fetched as recently Canadian pop heartthrob Justin Bieber, seemingly apropos of nothing, challenged 56-year-old Tom Cruise to a fight in the UFC octagon, to which White replied the fight "could happen".

Could we see Piers take on Jesse Lingard in the Octagon sometime soon? Unlikely. This seems like one battle confined to keyboard warrior status.

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