No Fear For Lingard & Co

Jesse Lingard says he and his fellow young Reds have a fearlessness which he believes has helped make an important impact this season and this will continue at Wembley on Saturday.

The 23-year-old has played over 30 games and found the net five times this term, while Marcus Rashford, Tim Fosu-Mensah and others have also excelled when given their chance. Rashford, in particular, has taken most of the headlines with seven goals in 13 games, including vital strikes against Arsenal and Manchester City in the league and West Ham United in the last round of the Emirates FA Cup.

Lingard says the younger players go into matches with no pressure or fear which he reckons has been key to the progress all have made in 2015/16. The opportunity to reach the FA Cup final is at stake in the semi-final against Everton at Saturday teatime and Lingard insists the Reds are determined to make it a memorable day for United fans everywhere.

"It’s a big one," he told MUTV. "We’ve been waiting all week for it and we’re full of confidence.

"Us young lads play football with pretty much no pressure, it’s like playing football with our friends. There’s that fearlessness but it’s also good to have the older, experienced lads like Wazza [Wayne Rooney] and Carras [Michael Carrick] to help us through stages of the game if things aren’t going quite right for you. For me, Marcus and Tim, it’s like you’re playing in the park having a kickaround but you’ve still got that motivation to win.

"It’ll be my first time to properly play at Wembley, which is going to be massive for me. We’ve got over 30,000 fans with us and all our family and friends will be there too so it’s going to be a big occasion and hopefully we can come out with the win."

Lingard is delighted with the steps he has made in the first team this season, having grown up a United fan and progressed through the youth ranks. Having the chance to play at Wembley is, as Lingard declares, "the icing on the cake."

"It’s kind of crazy when you think about it," he beams. "Growing up in the Academy and hoping and dreaming you can, one day, play for the first team week in, week out which I’m doing now; no-one can take that away from me. You start off small and then work your way up to the big things. I’ve just got to carry on and keep working hard.

"Wembley is the icing on the cake. If we get a win there, we know we’ll be in the final and that’s our aim."