Lingard Wants To Build On Great Week

Two openers in two games, including a contender for Manchester United’s Goal of the Season, means it hasn’t been a bad week for Jesse Lingard.

The winger headed home the Reds’ first goal in last Tuesday’s impressive 3-0 win over Stoke City at Old Trafford and fired a beauty into the top corner as he gave Louis van Gaal’s men the lead over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

Lingard was delighted with his “instinctive” finish, but admitted afterwards that the gloss has been taken off the strike a little thanks to Diego Costa’s late leveller.

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old is determined to build on a memorable few days from a personal perspective and says he is keen to maintain the strong form he has shown since he returned from injury.

“The boss has said that I’m getting back to my form now from what I had before my injury and I need to keep kicking on,” he told ManUtd.com.

“I was very happy with the finish and it was just instinctive to turn and hit it. It was a great feeling but, at the end of the day, we didn’t get the three points.

“We were so close and we’d worked hard all game. We were chasing the three points and then, right at the end, it just slipped from us.”

Van Gaal has put his faith in Lingard in some important fixtures this term and the forward has certainly caught the eye on a number of occasions, none more so than with his fine strike on Sunday. The man himself says the big-game challenges are something he relishes and he adds that everyone is keen to play their part during a busy February for the Reds.

“I felt comfortable [against Chelsea],” he continued. "From the first minute I got on the ball and tried to make things happen and, luckily, I got the goal. But it was the three points we wanted.

“We’ve got a big squad with lots of games coming up in different competitions. The manager can rotate things when he needs to and give people a rest - everyone wants to play and hopefully we can go on a good run.”