When I first saw Jesse Lingard I thought he would never make it at Manchester United.
He was small, he was light and he didn’t show enough to make me believe he could be anything more than a squad player. It is to his eternal credit that he has proved me wrong.
This kid has worked so hard at his game that he’s an example to any young player who gets a few knocks and questions whether they can make it. Now he is playing for England in a World Cup.
Jesse Lingard will hope to be celebrating on the football pitch with England on Sunday night
The Manchester United star (left) didn’t look like he had the ability to become an international
Lingard has worked relentlessly on his fitness and is now the Gareth Southgate’s roadrunner
As an ambassador for United, I used to go to the training ground quite a bit and watch the academy players and reserves and I would get to see the likes of Jesse up close.
My first impression was, he is not going to make it here, at best he’ll get in the squad or be someone the club loan out and then sell on. I just didn’t see enough quality. Sometimes, though, a player goes out on loan and it changes them.
It can be the making or breaking of a player and for Jesse it made him. You can go away, play well for another club and think, ‘OK, this will do, I’ll settle for this’, or you think, ‘I like the taste of this . . . but it would be even better if I was playing for Manchester United’. That’s when the work begins and I think the penny dropped with Jesse.
Lingard (bottom right) lines up with the Manchester United Under 18 side in February 2011
A loan spell at Derby in 2015 gave him the platform to take his game to a much higher level
He did well on loan at Birmingham City and Derby County but when he came back to Manchester United he appreciated the chance that he had. He put the extra work in, improved his fitness levels and got his break.
Jesse’s gone on to score some very important goals for the club, helped them win big competitions and now he’s in England’s World Cup team. He deserves it.
He is well suited to Gareth Southgate’s formation and I class him as an attacking midfielder. He’s not a Terry McDermott or Frank Lampard, more like Steve McManaman in style. He can bring the ball forward at pace, is intelligent with his interlinking play and scores some fantastic goals.
He’s not as good a defender as maybe Ryan Giggs was and not as strong but he has a work ethic and great character to hang in there.
There’s definitely room for improvement but you know he recognises that. He gets goals but should score even more. He needs to find that bit of composure.
England cannot afford to keep missing the chances we did against Tunisia. It’s simple, if we do, we go home. If Jesse can get those extra goals into his game he will be a great player. Thankfully, he still wants to learn.
When I talk to the likes of Nicky Butt at United he says Jesse is a level-headed kid. He comes across as bubbly and lively but he’s respectful, not some irritant.
Lingard got into good goalscoring positions against Tunisia and will cause Panama problems
He has learnt from people like Giggs and David Beckham about what is required from you when you’re a United player and there are certain demands of you. He doesn’t moan about it, he accepts the importance of supporters and sponsors. Fans connect with that. Marcus Rashford is the same.
I was at a United event with Marcus and there were a lot of questions about flash footballers buying flash cars. I asked Marcus what he’d bought and he said a Mercedes. I thought, that’s good enough for me. A good car, not a flash Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche. He’s another who may have got his chance by fortune but deserves his place.
We have seen young strikers come in and do well at United, only to disappear, but Marcus had that special something that made you believe he was here to stay and I think he’ll be with United and England for years to come.
Rashford’s understanding of the forward position has been helped by the fact he started out as a winger and he fits perfectly into Southgate’s system.
He’s a strong kid and I am sure he will cause Panama and others a lot of problems.
But Lingard must take his chances when they come to him to keep his place in the England side