Revealed: How Jesse Lingard went from zero to hero at Manchester United

Lingard has been like a new signing since returning from his latest loan spell

JESSE LINGARD has not always been a household name, but the winger has been impressing coaches inside Manchester United for years.

 

Lingard, who has been on loan spells at Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton, and Derby, has been a rare attacking bright spark at Old Trafford this season, as Louis van Gaal's side have focused more on defensive stability than offensive flair.

And though his eight appearances so far this term may only just have introduced him to Premier League audiences, there was one man who picked him out of a crowd at the age of seven.

"People look for intricate things but, with Jesse, it was simple," Mike Glennie, coordinator of Manchester United's development centre, who scout Lingard 15 years ago.

 

"He affected the game and he could clearly play."

His comments in United's match day programme come as no surprise to other members of staff who have watched him progress.

Rene Meulensteen, one of Sir Alex Ferguson's most valued advisers at the club, revealed how how he had told the 22-year-old to go away and watch Barcelona play.

 

Lingard won the FA Youth Cup in 2011, alongside Ravel Morrison and Paul Pogba

"He’s bright, he’s left-footed, he’s got great ability and skill," Meulensteen said.

"I always said to him: ‘Watch as many Andres Iniesta clips as you can’, because I see Jesse as the English version of Iniesta. He has a long way to go, but that is the sort of player I see in him.

"People say he’s small because of the perception of how the Premier League is. 

 

"Look at players like Andreas Iniesta, Xavi, Lionel Messi, David Silva, Juan Mata; they’re all tiny, but it doesn’t make a difference if you have a quick brain, quick feet and a big heart, and Jesse has all of those."

Meulensteen left United in 2013 after his second spell with the club was ended when David Moyes elected to bring in his own back room staff.

However, having worked closely with the youth teams while Lingard was progressing through the system at Old Trafford, Meulensteen believes he has left a legacy behind in the youngster.

 

"Everything you see in Jesse when he takes a player on - the confidence, the tricks and flicks - it all looks natural and that's because we instilled it in him at a young age," Meulensteen added. 

"You just need an opportunity, and that’s what he’s got now.”