Despite being one of the most polarising figures in the English game, Jesse Lingard looms as England’s key man for the upcoming World Cup in Russia.
A graduate of Manchester United’s academy alongside off-field best friend Paul Pogba, Lingard has overcome four different loan spells and four manager changes in his seven years with the club to cement his place in the first team squad.
A late bloomer of sorts, he didn’t make his first team debut until he was 21 years and 8 months old back in 2014, it hasn’t been until the last 18 months that his career has exploded into life.
Similar to Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min, Lingard is the ultimate squad player. Primarily deployed on the right of a front three, such is his versatility that he’s capable of playing from the left or in an attacking role behind the striker.
It’s this versatility that makes him indispensable to Jose Mourinho.
The 2016-17 season was Lingard’s most productive in terms of goals and assists, scoring five and assisting a further three.
In 2017-18 Lingard has taken his game to another level, over doubling his 16-17 output, scoring fifteen and assisting eight goals, taking him from a peripheral figure to a key cog for his team.
Not receiving his first full team international call-up until November 2015, it was a further eleven months before he would make his full England debut, against Malta in October 2016.
His debut strike, a blistering match-winning effort in the recent friendly against the Netherlands, has truly signalled his arrival on the global stage.
Playing in an England team that is often criticised for a lack of creativity and ability to find the back of the net, Lingard adds the missing piece of the puzzle to Gareth Southgate’s squad.
His natural flair and the x-factor nature, along with his combination with United teammate Marcus Rashford, will prove vital if England are to carry any hopes of going deep into the tournament.
What are your thoughts on Jesse Lingard’s form and can he deliver England success at the World Cup?
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