It should be covered by warranty as there is a service bulletin about it.
This one courtesy of Alex on freel2:-
Special Service Message (SSM) 44149
Models: LF - Freelander 2
Title Freelander 2 Manual Transmission-Gears difficult/stiff to select
Last Modified 26-APR-2010 07:53
Category Driveline
Symptom 505200 - Manual Shift Lever/Linkage Concerns Content
Issue: Customer may report Gearshift linkage does not operate freely (stiff or partially seized)
Cause: Ball pin on transmission shift lever at the gearbox end may not be tightened to torque and could eventually work loose.When it works loose, fore / aft gear shift motion will become stiff (cable touches other cable and cast face) eventually the ball pin may work it's way out.
Action: For Vehicles within the range specified, if a customer reports the above described issue it may be possible the root cause is due to the Ball pin that the transmission cable attaches onto has not been torqued to the correct Value of 20 Nm (+/-3Nm) and has therefore worked loose. When investigating customer reports for Gearshift linkage does not operate freely, please consider this as a potential cause. Any vehicles found with this concern should be rectified following the relevant GTR procedures also ensuring the ball pin joint is secured to a torque value of 20Nm (+/- 3Nm).
look in this thread
http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f9/freelander-2-manual-gear-selector-problem-123328.html