14/10/2012 19:05 - ManUtd.com, Adam Marshall
Lingard maintaining progress
Jesse Lingard speaks exclusively to ManUtd.com about life at United...
Since we spoke to you last season, you’ve managed to get a start for the first team...
It was a great experience on tour, just being around the first team. You get a strong vibe and feel ready for the games so it was a really good experience.
And it was a very impressive performance against AmaZulu – you were one of the best players on the day...
To be fair, I wasn’t even nervous beforehand. I was pretty comfortable with it. All the players, like Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes, gave me the ball early so I could get a few touches on the ball and could settle in from there.
You were able to play pretty centrally so did that help?
I started on the left but drifted inside and managed to get on the ball a lot.
Does it aid your game playing alongside the senior professionals?
Yes. It’s a lot easier obviously because of their experience. They pass the ball to me all the time and just want to get you settled into the game. If you have any touches in the match, you want to impress. Obviously, I wanted to get on the ball so I could catch the eye of the boss.
Does that trust they have in you come from training with the first team?
Well, it’s good in training as I get on the ball a lot and want to try and impress all the time.
Have you been training more with the first team this season?
A lot more initially but not so much since the Reserves’ season started. Before the Under-21 games, I train with the Reserves but I’m still with the first team now and again.
In terms of the Under-21 league, there’s not too much difference is there?
You can have three older players and an older goalkeeper but there’s not much difference really, no.
One of the rule changes does involve playing in the bigger stadiums so that must be a positive?
That’s another good experience for us younger players. On tour, we played in a lot of stadiums so we should be used to playing stadiums now really.
And Old Trafford will stage some of the matches if we progress to the latter rounds...
I played there in the FA Youth Cup a couple of seasons ago and for the Reserves too last term so it was good experience. But it could be good as we’ll get used to playing on that pitch when the boss calls us up for the Capital One Cup or other games hopefully.
What is your preferred position?
Well, between attack and midfield. In the pocket there. Similar to Shinji Kagawa. I really like the way he plays.
Are you seeing almost a conscious change tactically to play more like that?
That’s what most teams are starting to do – put people between the defence and attack so they can’t be marked and can get on the ball and create from there. Andres Iniesta and Xavi have been doing it for years at Barcelona.
And the manager may have been taking a long-term view on this as he knows he’s got small skilful players like yourself and Larnell Cole coming through.. .
Rene [Meulensteen] has been trying to build it into us slowly so we’re ready for it when we’re older. Rene has been there all the time with us and said it’s all about 90 per cent passing and 10 per cent skills. We’ve just got to play together and work hard in our team this season.
So what are the aims for this season?
It’s a new league to win now for the team.. It would be good to win the Under-21s but we’ll see. It was good to win every cup we lifted last season so hopefully we can do it again this year.
Warren Joyce did tell me players can stay and learn plenty from being at Carrington as loans aren’t the be all and end all...
He wants us to stay for our development but we’ll see what the boss says on it soon.
I guess there is a major difference to going out on loan and playing league football...
I think it will be a lot more physical going out on loan but we’re going to have to adapt to that anyway. I’m still training with the first team now and then and getting stronger with them.
So you feel you’re making progress?
Yes, I’ve stepped up even more from last year so we’ll just see what happens now.
And you must be proud of the way you’ve played in the first team so far..
I thought it was good and enjoyed it a lot. I got a lot of playing time on tour, more than I was expecting, and to start the first game was an amazing experience.
Have you set yourself any goals target this term?
I’ve already scored a few this season and hopefully I’ll carry on and get over 10 if I play in the Reserves this season.