In Defence of Jesse Lingard

reelworld said:
That would set back the club around 10-15 million pounds. The money that can be used to fund this world class players we need. And he still counts towards the homegrown player rule.
It's funny how now Fletcher, Park and Phil Neville are now regarded as good players. I swear I still remember posters here saying they're not good enough, not United quality, I think the words that are used back then.
I thought after scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup, a competition who we haven't won in ages, people would get a bit easy on him a bit. I guess I was wrong. But I guess I should've known after the shite O'Shea got, after he: played midfield half a season and got us to second place, scored a winner against Liverpool, and generally being a good professional throughout his time at the club
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The same weird people who keep constantly mentioning they are happy with Herrera... but wouldn't mind an upgrade. The same that suddenly think Pogba has been average because he had one very poor game. The same happy to boo Fellaini because he fecked up against Everton and only gave him about a day's respite after he scored the other day.

Shit happens, get on with it and appreciate their contributions rather than look for the flaws, sometimes not even flaws but things that could be improved (through obvious upgrades, always, of course, like Falcao or Di Maria).

Grass is always greener and all that. Getting bored at the absolute shitloads of people on here who don't seem to have any form of attachment or loyalty to their own players. We used to have the odd WUM, but now it isn't WUMs, it's actual real people who think and post like WUMs.
 
He's useful to have around for rotation purposes in case of injury and heavy schedules, he's friends with Pogba which helps, he's committed to the club and he's one of our own. That said, if someone came in and bid a decent amount for him, why not cash in? He just lacks end product. He can be as fast and as tricky and as committed as he wants, which are all admirable qualities, but he needs more goals and assists in his locker. This is Manchester United, not a bottom-half team.
 
The worst player in the starting 11 and the most used bench warming player will usually get the flak. If you are player, you dont want to end up in that 2 category if you play for Man Utd or for any club.
I remember Andy Cole during Cantona days, then there is Johnny Evans aka the donut, O'shea, Cleverly, Gibson, Young and Fellaini. For a short period, it was Valencia the no.7. And early this season it was Rooney.
 
Jesse Lingard reveals chat with Rio Ferdinand after Man United legend criticised his use of social media

Life's a riot for Jesse Lingard.

The Manchester United attacker plays his football with a smile – and who can blame him after scoring Wembley wonder-goals that have helped the Reds win the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield over the last two seasons.

When United’s team coach came under attack from hooligan West Ham fans last year, Lingard’s first instinct was to post a video of the bombardment on Snapchat.

This season his Snapchat friends got to see him perform a dance routine with £89million team-mate Paul Pogba.

Former United defender Rio Ferdinand felt it was a sign that the 24-year-old doesn’t quite care enough.

But talking to Lingard at England’s hotel in Hertfordshire this week, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lingard said: “Fun plays a massive part in anyone’s life. At least it should do.

“Not everyone is going to like everything you do, but I’m the type of guy that’s always having a joke and messing around – apart from when it comes to the serious stuff.

“I know when my head has to be on the game. You train hard all week, but in your downtime you should be able to relax with your friends and have some fun.

“People pick up on it and are quick to judge, but I’ve always felt that you can’t really judge anyone unless you speak to them face to face or meet them in real life.

“I spoke to Rio about what he said. We had a discussion about it and we’re fine. I’m just a happy-go-lucky person who does things that make me happy.”

Lingard’s attitude belies a naturally nervous disposition. Some of his early United performances were paralysed by tension.

But his sensational strike against Crystal Palace to win the FA Cup was a turning point and he has followed that up with goals against Leicester in the Community Shield and Southampton in the EFL Final.

“It was that Leicester game,” said Lingard. “That was the game when it all started to feel normal.

“Last year was a great experience, you know, under Louis Van Gaal. He gave me the confidence to go and play.

“Going away with England always gives you a boost as well, representing your country and being with the country’s elite players.”

So what possessed Lingard to pick up his phone to film West Ham’s misbehaving fans at Upton Park last season when the rest of his team-mates dived for cover?

He said: “I could see it all happening and the first thing I did was pull my phone out and start recording.

“It’s just another memory slid in the bank I guess. It was on my private Snapchat, to be fair, and it shouldn’t really have got out.

“One of my friends must have snaked me out and took the video without my knowing. But these things happen and I have still the footage from that day. It is just memories.”

Lingard added: “As for the dancing and the goal celebrations, it’s all natural. Mum can dance, dad can dance and my brother owns a dance school in Greece. I don’t go out of my way to practice or anything like that.

“And the important thing is that as soon as I get on the pitch it is all about hard work. I know I have to concentrate on winning.”

//

While I found the video 1h before West Ham kick-off a bit of a sign that he wasn’t focused enough for the task ahead, I can’t disagree with anything he says here. Lingard (and Pogba) gets a lot of stick for basically being a happy, positive person being active on social media (as most his age are), I can’t really fault his attitude, so for me he has backed it up, that "I know when my head has to be on the game. You train hard all week, but in your downtime you should be able to relax with your friends and have some fun.”

I think it’s good that he had a chat with Rio, who’s always enjoyed the public eye, but never let that influence his performances.
 
as irritating as the social media stuff is I suppose it's more a sign of the times

as for Lingard, he is likeable and is United through and through

he's shown flashes of excellence across the last couple of years which you can probably count on one hand (FA cup final, Community Shield, great cross for Zlatan against West Brom, League Cup final, last week against Boro) but lacks any kind of consistency - you wouldn't want to rely on Jesse for goals or assists

he's a decent squad player but, based on ability, I'd have him as a backup to a backup player personally
 
I think he's a great squad option. Loves Wembley, scorer of great goals, versatile, offers something a little different. 24 but still think there are another couple of levels to his game.
 
That's a great interview to be fair, he comes across like a really fun guy to be around.
 
I don't really care about the social media stuff too much as he keeps it to dance videos, etc. One has to understand that times have changed so we will have players like these and in any case, its not a problem either as long as they're focused at the time of work. That's why the West Ham incident pissed me off, an hour or so before the game.
 
Varun said:
I don't really care about the social media stuff too much as he keeps it to dance videos, etc. One has to understand that times have changed so we will have players like these and in any case, its not a problem either as long as they're focused at the time of work. That's why the West Ham incident pissed me off, an hour or so before the game.
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Couldn’t agree more.
 
Love Jesse. Hope he stays here for the bulk of his career. It's vital that lads like Rashford, Lingard and CBJ/TFM make it and stay here. We need academy boys at the heart of the squad, they invigorate team spirit. I know TFM doesn't really count though.
 
OohAahMartial said:
Too many expect our entire squad to be at the same level as our first #11 forgetting they would need to be paid as much and would be unhappy being benched (like Martial possibly). Martial is way better when on form but for most of this season he has been not as good as Lingard. Having the competition for places that Lingard offers forces Martial to work harder and make more of his opportunities.
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Spot on, especially your Martial / Lingard comparison.

If only one can take Lingard's attitude and work rate and transfer them to Martial, Martial would be right up there with the world's best.
 
If Lingard is the best squad player our club can attract, as many as implying, then I look forward to many more years of falling massively short of competing with Europe's elite teams.
 
Jesse Lingard will outlast and out shine Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial or both in world football. Mark my words and watch them play in the next 10 years.

I know this sounds like nonesense but there is something about that kid. He doesn't seem to have that 'wow' talent like Martial or Rashford but he has confidence, a big heart, a smile on his face and incredible work ethics. He is also comfortable when the stakes are high.

I hope United will keep him. He is an invaluable squad player. The more the team improves, the better he'll get.
 
Isn't he stalling on a new contract? He's an okay player, but playing games like Rooney and Rio did shouldn't work with him cos he's easily replaceable unlike Rooney and Rio.

If I were the club I'd be taking a hard stance, he shouldn't be signed on a contract at the level of Sanchez etc, 80k a week maximum, it's time we start paying these squad players what they bring to the team, Young on 110k a week is laughable, funds are being mismanaged at the moment.
 
What annoys me is the stupidity in implying he wont improve. He definitely can and he will.
 
yumtum said:
Isn't he stalling on a new contract? He's an okay player, but playing games like Rooney and Rio did shouldn't work with him cos he's easily replaceable unlike Rooney and Rio.

If I were the club I'd be taking a hard stance, he shouldn't be signed on a contract at the level of Sanchez etc, 80k a week maximum, it's time we start paying these squad players what they bring to the team, Young on 110k a week is laughable, funds are being mismanaged at the moment.
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So world class players can try to negotiate better terms, but squad players should just accept the first offer, whatever it is..? I heard the contract talks are currently happening, the word "stall" is way over-used.
 
top1whoisman said:
So world class players can try to negotiate better terms, but squad players should just accept the first offer, whatever it is..? I heard the contract talks are currently happening, the word "stall" is way over-used.
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No I didn't say they can't negotiate, negotiating is obvious. I'm just saying playing hardball shouldn't work for squad players, it's not like United would start the negotiations at 80k.
 
yumtum said:
No I didn't say they can't negotiate, negotiating is obvious. I'm just saying playing hardball shouldn't work for squad players, it's not like United would start the negotiations at 80k.
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We don’t know the salaries they’re discussing, but in my opinion every player and especially agent naturally, as they should, will do whatever they can to get the maximum result out of those negotiations. I guess you could call that ”playing hardball”.
 
He needs to add a little consistency in his game. Just don't know what to expect from him.

Some of his better moments are pure class. I mean, how many shots has Pogba taken from outside the box, but they always hit the post or get saved. Jesse however managed to score so easily from outside the box.

He gives an excellent performance in one match, but in the next match he is mediocre and has to be subbed. I really like watching Lingard play. Energy, movement, decent pace, good linkup. But I feel that he can do much better and the most glaring issue is his inconsistency. He will mostly play the next match against West Brom as well and I want him to see play similar to what he did in the last match.
 
top1whoisman said:
We don’t know the salaries they’re discussing, but in my opinion every player and especially agent naturally, as they should, will do whatever they can to get the maximum result out of those negotiations. I guess you could call that ”playing hardball”.
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I get what you're saying, players deserve the money they get because the industry is full of cash, but there's ways to go about it, I've read a few articles about Lingard and his contract discussions now, you don't hear the likes of Valencia, Smalling and Jones etc having their talks leaked to the press (because you can bet his agent has leaked a few things to the papers) I just find it a little cnutish not to keep these things in house! The only reason they leak these stories is to put pressure on the board to sign him up for a longer/more lucrative contract, in my opinion his stock isn't that high to be able to use the media to better his terms.

Just to point out I'm not saying he should accept the first offer, I'm just saying there's ways to go about these things.
 
yumtum said:
I get what you're saying, players deserve the money they get because the industry is full of cash, but there's ways to go about it, I've read a few articles about Lingard and his contract discussions now, you don't hear the likes of Valencia, Smalling and Jones etc having their talks leaked to the press (because you can bet his agent has leaked a few things to the papers) I just find it a little cnutish not to keep these things in house! The only reason they leak these stories is to put pressure on the board to sign him up for a longer/more lucrative contract, in my opinion his stock isn't that high to be able to use the media to better his terms.

Just to point out I'm not saying he should accept the first offer, I'm just saying there's ways to go about these things.
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I do agree that leaking stuff to the papers is a bit sheepish, although the way most seem to push the clubs during contract talks nowadays. The truth is that none of us really know how the talks are going re: Lingard’s contract, wouldn’t take anything the papers write as gospel. I do admire Valencia, but he’s a rarity these days. So I wouldn’t use the way we see Jesse’s contract talks going through the media as a(nother) stick to beat him with.
 
Jesse Lingard is not a poor player, he is just limited. And being limited he needs to learn how to recognize his strength and use it. He clearly has pace and could be a threat from long range. His best role is playing out wide as a RW and provide width, same way Valencia used to do before he was switched to RB. I facepalm every time I see him on the pitch wandering aimlessly from the right to the left, coming deep and going behind the striker.
That being said, it is supposed to be the manager's job to know how to get the best out of each player and what role suits them best, but unfortunately, Mourinho was never that kind of manager.
 
Abdou0230 said:
Jesse Lingard is not a poor player, he is just limited. And being limited he needs to learn how to recognize his strength and use it. He clearly has pace and could be a threat from long range. His best role is playing out wide as a RW and provide width, same way Valencia used to do before he was switched to RB. I facepalm every time I see him on the pitch wandering aimlessly from the right to the left, coming deep and going behind the striker.
That being said, it is supposed to be the manager's job to know how to get the best out of each player and what role suits them best, but unfortunately, Mourinho was never that kind of manager.
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Agree with the first two sentences, but his best performances at United have come through the middle, all his goals basically come through the movement in the middle.
 
There isn't nothing wrong with him and he doesn't need defense of any kind.

We have had worse players in the past - who are even more limited in ability and also have done less for the club; however, aslong as we kept winning trophies it didn't matter to anybody.

Now that we aren't winning everything almost instantly we will look for excuses all over the place.

We really should focus on being better supporters. We have turned to a bunch of fans that hardly make a whisper at our own ground but will boo our own players louder than anybody else.
 
AndyJ1985 said:
If Lingard is the best squad player our club can attract, as many as implying, then I look forward to many more years of falling massively short of competing with Europe's elite teams.
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I don't think anybody actually thinks this though. Lingard is a squad player who has his limitations and can obviously be improved upon, but he's working hard for the team in ways that other superior players would not. As someone earlier in the thread said, he has been better for us than Di Maria and Falcao were, always looking to jettison limited or unfashionable players will get us nowhere.
 
12OunceEpilogue said:
I don't think anybody actually thinks this though. Lingard is a squad player who has his limitations and can obviously be improved upon, but he's working hard for the team in ways that other superior players would not. As someone earlier in the thread said, he has been better for us than Di Maria and Falcao were, always looking to jettison limited or unfashionable players will get us nowhere.
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Didn't Di Maria top our assists. He was a great player but LVG style of football didn't suit him at all. Mourinho mentioned this the other week

Falcao had just come back from a really bad injury. It looks like it took him 2 years to recover
 
top1whoisman said:
I do agree that leaking stuff to the papers is a bit sheepish, although the way most seem to push the clubs during contract talks nowadays. The truth is that none of us really know how the talks are going re: Lingard’s contract, wouldn’t take anything the papers write as gospel. I do admire Valencia, but he’s a rarity these days. So I wouldn’t use the way we see Jesse’s contract talks going through the media as a(nother) stick to beat him with.
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Yeah maybe I miss the type of player that would do things in doors, or maybe the media these days do print too much sensationalism, but Lingard would be a pretty underwhelming player to write this stuff about.

I don't mind Lingard as a player, so I'm not using this as another reason to put him down, yes yes underwhelming but the vitorol he receives on here is a tad harsh (sorry if this message makes no sense...mother's day meal!).
 
Good player, will only get better. Seems to pop up at the ideal moment to stuff the haterz.
 
Attila said:
Didn't Di Maria top our assists. He was a great player but LVG style of football didn't suit him at all. Mourinho mentioned this the other week

Falcao had just come back from a really bad injury. It looks like it took him 2 years to recover
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True. I'm not saying Lingard is a better player than either of them, I'm saying he has been better for us.
 
Attila said:
Didn't Di Maria top our assists. He was a great player but LVG style of football didn't suit him at all. Mourinho mentioned this the other week

Falcao had just come back from a really bad injury. It looks like it took him 2 years to recover
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di Maria may have had a lot of assists but his attitude was absolutely shocking, he had flashes of briliance but he was incredibely frustratin when he was off and that was more often than not, I would saz he was even level above Luis Nani in terms of how awful he could look to his so called world class "standard". I agree he should have been used differently but I wouldnt switch him for Lingard, he unlike Lingard miserabely failed to make it at United in the end. Lingard is a good squad option now and can be a useful player to us, unlike di Maria who had his chance.

Falcao was always a bit overrated, he was unlucky with the injury but he didnt posses the qualities needed for premier league or a top club, he found his level at french league
 
Crashoutcassius said:
Of course. Most United fans wanted players like park and g nev replaced woth flashy attacking continental players. Good thing fans don't run the club as ever
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I hate this cliche. When a significant amount of United fans wanted Ronaldo out, it was Aaron fecking Lennon who many wanted to replace him. When Evra left, we were all begging for Luke Shaw. I think we just get caught up with the idea of new signings regardless of their nationality.
 
OL29 said:
I hate this cliche. When a significant amount of United fans wanted Ronaldo out, it was Aaron fecking Lennon who many wanted to replace him. When Evra left, we were all begging for Luke Shaw. I think we just get caught up with the idea of new signings regardless of their nationality.
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Ronaldo and Evra were club legends and first teamers. Lingard is an average squad player at best.
 
Just like Nani against Arsenal, I hope Lingard last game is the start of him finding his 'niche'; working hard, and bringing ball with speed ala Mykhi. There was one occasion on the right, where he also did Valencia's move of kick and chase the ball that I've never notice of him doing it before.

I also love that whenever after the game or he was subbed, you can see on his face that he looked absolutely spent. Mean so much that he run to the ground every time he's on the pitch.
 
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