Jesse Lingard deserves credit for forcing his way into Jose Mourinho's Manchester United team and he now looks so important to their future
- Jesse Lingard now has seven goals in nine games after screamer at Everton
- 25-year-old has forced his way into Jose Mourinho's Man United team of late
- He has scored more league goals than the likes of Dele Alli and Kevin De Bruyne
- United would be eight points worse off without Lingard and down in fifthĀ Ā
Before Jose Mourinho wins credit for the recent emergence of Jesse Lingard at Manchester United, consider that he did not start the forward in the Premier League until late October.
Indeed, his first home start was only just last month. Sometimes, then, it is the player who deserves the plaudits.
And that is true in the case of Lingard. It is he who has forced his way into the team, scoring seven times in his last nine matches, his latest a 25-yard screamer in the 2-0 victory at Everton on New Year's Day.
Jesse Lingard celebrates after scoring in Manchester United's 2-0 win at Everton on Monday
Lingard celebrates with Paul Pogba after firing home United's second at Goodison Park
Lingard curled home a shot into the top corner from 25 yards to seal United's victory
He has more league goals than Dele Alli, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mane, Leroy Sane and Christian Eriksen this season, and in far fewer minutes.
There have been four assists, too. In fact, take away Lingard's contribution since the end of November - when he scored one and laid on another in a 4-2 win at Watford - and United would be eight points worse off and out of the Champions League places.
Right now, it is Lingard who is making the difference. Given the injuries to Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he will have to maintain his form if United are to cling on to second position during what promises to be a testing January.
Perhaps Mourinho was waiting for Lingard to give him good reason to trust him. After all, he scored just once from 25 appearances in the league last season. The manager's comments after the win at Everton were telling.
Lingard ran to the travelling United fans at Goodison Park after scoring their second goal
Lingard gets the thumbs up from his manager Jose Mourinho after being taken offĀ
The forward was clearly tickled by something Mourinho and his staff said as he went off
'These boys, they jump or they don't jump,' said Mourinho.
'One thing is to be a young talent, another is to be a very good player. Some players are not capable of that jump.
'From great potential, young players, they go to normal players. I think Jesse is giving that jump. He is being more consistent. He is being more adaptable.
'He understands better the game, the different spaces, the different positions. He is going in a good direction.'
It is important to remember, however, that Lingard is 25 years old. He has been talked of in terms of potential for too long now.
Championship loan spells at Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton and Derby brought flashes of his talent, but it was never enough to convince United bosses that he was worthy of a chance back at Old Trafford.
Lingard gets an affectionate pat on the head from Phil Jones after scoring the second goal
Lingard shares a high-five with Nemanja Matic after sealing the three points for United
It was not until the opening match of the 2014-15 campaign under Louis van Gaal that he made his senior debut. That, however, was short-lived and he had to wait another 14 months for his next appearance.
In that time there was talk of a permanent exit with the likes of Newcastle preparing a deal for the academy graduate. United, though, resisted the interest.Ā
The words of Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2012 may have had an influence in the decision to persevere.
'Jesse Lingard is going to be some player,' said the-then manager.
'He is 19, came through our youth system and is built like Jean Tigana was for France. But he never got into the limelight there until he was about 24, and I think that will be the same with Lingard.'
Quite prophetic, you could say. But if Lingard has needed until his mid-twenties to prove his pedigree as a United player - and with England, for whom he debuted in October, 2016 - then so be it, and credit to the club for keeping the faith. More so, though, the player himself.
Lingard has forced his way into the reckoning at a crucial point of the season for United
Lingard gets the better of his former team-mate Wayne Rooney during the match at Everton
It would have been easy for him, like so many others, to quit in search of regular first-team football. United would have taken a relatively handsome fee and Lingard would have secured a lucrative deal and the promise of a starring role.
Instead, he backed himself to make the breakthrough, never intimidated by the arrival of the likes of Ibrahimovic, Lukaku and Anthony Martial. Even the emergence of Marcus Rashford could have led Lingard to consider his United future.
As it is, he is United's future, at least in the short-term given his scoring streak. Beyond that, it will be down to Lingard, as it has been all along. There is every chance he could be around for a while yet.
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