Why Jesse Lingard should start more often for Manchester United

Jesse Lingard has only started in five games out of the 17 games played by Manchester United this season. Now, I agree that Lingard is a nothing more than a squad player and does not deserve to start week in week out. However, I feel that he should be starting more often for the club.

HUDDERSFIELD, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 21: Jesse Lingard of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Huddersfield Town and Manchester United at John Smith’s Stadium on October 21, 2017 in Huddersfield, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) /

Before I start giving my reasons as to why Lingard should be starting more often for the club, I thought that I’d just put this out there. 1) I’m not a Jesse Lingard fanboy and 2) I’ll be comparing Lingard with Mkhitaryan a lot as they play in the same position.

Big game player

The first reason why Jesse Lingard should start more often is that he is a proven big game player.

Time and time again the Englishman has proven that he can do it on the big stage.

He has recorded goals in important matches such as the FA Cup finals, EFL Cup finals, Community Shield and in big Premier League games such as Chelsea whereas Mkhitaryan has only recorded a goal in the Europa League finals and in a Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur last season.

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 21: Jesse Lingard of Manchester United celebrates as he scores their second goal during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on May 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) /

Now, the main point that I’m trying to bring across here is that Mkhitaryan goes missing in big games whereas Lingard will make some form of impact on the game, whether it leads to a goal or not.

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A great example is Manchester United’s recent game against Tottenham Hotspur.

Mkhitaryan started and had little to no impact on the game.

He spoilt United’s counter-attacks by repeatedly losing possession of the ball way too easily.

Jesse Lingard was then substituted on for Mkhitaryan directly after halftime.

In the 45+ minutes that Lingard played, he helped the counter attacks to flow more smoothly.

Partnership with Rashford will be beneficial

It’s no secret that Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard have a special chemistry on the pitch.

It’s never easy to form a partnership with any player in any club, mainly because it takes years for such chemistry to form.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 20: Marcus Rashford of Manchester United celebrates scoring his sides first goal with Jesse Lingard of Manchester United during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Manchester United and Burton Albion at Old Trafford on September 20, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /

Thankfully, that chemistry still exists between the two Englishman.

One game that comes to mind when talking about their chemistry is the Premier League game against Chelsea at Old Trafford last season.

Rashford and Lingard played phenomenally.

Their link-up plays. flicks, presses and their passes were on point and it definitely played a part in that win.

Mkhitaryan is inconsistent

Now, don’t get me wrong, Mkhitaryan is solid on his day and offers so much more than Lingard does.

But, he is inconsistent and is missing some parts of the game that Lingard offers.

With that reason, plus the two other reasons I gave in this write-up, I strongly believe that Lingard should start more often for Manchester United this season.

Next: Marcus Rashford can be Manchester United’s most important player, in the number 10 position

Do you think Jesse Lingard should start more often for Manchester United? Let me know by tweeting me @ThatSohailGuy!

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