Lingard Hungrier Than Ever

Jesse Lingard says the arrival of more top-quality talent at Manchester United is only making him hungrier for the chance to break into the team on a regular basis.

The former FA Youth Cup winner made his competitive debut for the club in Louis van Gaal's first game in charge – the opening-day defeat to Swansea City last term. Unfortunately, a serious knee injury sustained in a challenge with Ashley Williams left him sidelined until February but he spent the end of the campaign on loan with Derby County and impressed for England Under-21s in the European Championship finals.

After being one of the stand-out performers on the last trip to the United States, scoring in the International Champions Cup final win over Liverpool, the 22-year-old will be out to make a similar impact on Tour 2015, presented by Aon.

"It's definitely different from the few times I've been on tour previously," Lingard told MUTV. "We've given a warm welcome to each player who has come in and it's a strong squad for the season. I think we'll go far this season.

"There is always going to be competition, no matter where you go. You see [Bastian] Schweinsteiger and [Morgan] Schneiderlin come in and it makes you more hungry to do more to get into the team. It's healthy competition at the end of the day. Memphis has got a bubbly character about him and [Matteo] Darmian hangs around with the foreign guys a lot. There's good vibes in the camp at the moment. We can't wait to get the season under way but, at the moment, we need to concentrate on the games on tour."

The intensive training sessions should ensure the players are fighting fit for the big kick-off against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on 8 August.

"We're used to it," added Lingard, when asked about the hard work under the manager's watchful eye. "We've done it all the time throughout our careers and, with these double days, we've got to keep our focus and concentration."