Manchester United’s Lingard to build on good form
Jesse Lingard has scored in each of the previous two matches for Manchester United
Manchester United are at a breaking point in the season, with the next couple of matches likely to decide their Champions League fate for next year.
The Red Devils are six points off of the top four with 13 matches left in the season, several of those matches against the likes of Manchester City, Leicester City, etc. As such, for Manchester United to have any chance of competing in Europe’s top competition next season, they’ll need to narrow the gap quickly.
Crucial to narrowing that gap, obviously, will be improved performances individually and as a team. A few of the United players have consistently met or exceeded expectations thus far, with Anthony Martial, Chris Smalling, and David de Gea the first names that come to mind. The more pervasive trend has been players either experiencing fluctuations in form or players consistently under-performing.
But the team will need to consistently perform going forward, and some of the players have shown signs of heading in that direction – Jesse Lingard in particular.
The winger has scored twice in the most recent two matches, providing the openers against Stoke and Chelsea. While the focus had previously been on his wing counterpart, Martial, the 23-year-old has shifted the spotlight to his side of the field. But he isn’t done yet.
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Speaking to ManUtd.com, Lingard emphasized his intent to improve on the recent form:
"“The boss has said that I’m getting back to my form now from what I had before my injury and I need to keep kicking on. I was very happy with the finish and it was just instinctive to turn and hit it. It was a great feeling but, at the end of the day, we didn’t get the three points.”“We were so close and we’d worked hard all game. We were chasing the three points and then, right at the end, it just slipped from us. “I felt comfortable. From the first minute I got on the ball and tried to make things happen and, luckily, I got the goal. But it was the three points we wanted.”"
Lingard has been somewhat of a revelation this year, when Juan Mata looked to be the clear favorite on the right wing at the beginning of the campaign. Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has also been tremendous in his appearances, his opportunities the result of injuries to other defenders.
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That has been characteristic of Manchester United in the past – academy players capitalizing on their opportunities. Commenting on the immediate future for the team, Lingard doesn’t believe this will change:
"“We’ve got a big squad with lots of games coming up in different competitions. The manager can rotate things when he needs to and give people a rest – everyone wants to play and hopefully we can go on a good run.”"
Louis van Gaal will certainly need to give key players a rest in the Europa League matches, with nothing much to play for in the competition. The Premier League and FA Cup are far more critical to the assessment of this season’s success.
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But regardless of who plays for the remainder of the season in each position, the players will need to perform on a frequent basis. The room for error has shrunk significantly, forcing Lingard and others to play at their best if Manchester United is to avoid missing the Champions League for a second time in three years.