Lingard Will Help On Tour

Jesse Lingard believes the experience of going on tour with Manchester United in 2012 was "massive" for his progression at the club.

United's FA Cup-winning hero feels the pre-season trip to South Africa and China was key to his development as a player and he also spoke of the important lessons from that experience and others since.

Lingard is set to be part of Jose Mourinho's travelling squad for Tour 2016, presented by Aon, next month for friendly matches against Borussia Dortmund in Shanghai and Manchester City in Beijing.

Asked about the importance of tours for some of the squad's younger members, Lingard told ManUtd.com: "It’s massive for the young players. There are a lot of experienced players who go on tour.

"I remember the first one I went on and Rio [Ferdinand] was on it; he really helped me and guided me through it. There will probably be a lot of young players coming on this tour and we can help them now as well.

"As a young player, you look at the older lads and look at what they’re doing. They set very good examples and you want to follow in those footsteps. It’s about passing things on from each generation."

Lingard was part of the team that helped overcome local side Shanghai Shenhua when the Reds were last in the city four years ago but, with Dortmund and City the opposition in the International Champions Cup this time around, the 23-year-old is expecting a completely different type of test.

"I think it will help us," he insisted. "We play City throughout the season and we know Dortmund are a strong side. These are the teams you want to play against because they really test you."

Asked if the derby meeting at the Bird's Nest in Beijing will be played as a friendly, Lingard joked: "Definitely not! It’ll be a proper game. The season is only around the corner at that point and we’ll have to prepare right."