Europa League triumph just the start for Man United – Lingard

Jesse Lingard believes he is primed to play a key role in even greater success for Manchester United after helping them to a trophy double in the 2016-17 season.

Jose Mourinho guided United to the EFL Cup and the Europa League in his maiden campaign at Old Trafford, with midfielder Lingard having scored in the Wembley final win over Southampton.

The England international hopes his growing experience and the lessons he has learned under Mourinho’s tutelage will help bring further silverware to the club.

“I think winning trophies is the main thing,” Lingard told Sky Sports about his objectives.

“That’s why I play for Manchester United and there’s no better feeling than lifting the trophy in front of your fans and celebrating. So once you’ve got that feeling you’ve got to have the hunger to go after it again.”

Friday Feeling @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/OKPZaMOQDM

— Jesse Lingard (@JesseLingard) May 26, 2017

Reflecting on the 2-0 victory against Ajax in Stockholm, Lingard added: “It was a great night for us all, especially for our families and the fans that had travelled down. It’s always good to give back to them.

“Manchester United is all about winning trophies. It’s engraved in their history to win trophies and it’s good that the new generation now is starting to learn to win trophies.” 

Lingard joined United’s youth set-up at the age of seven and now regards himself as someone who younger players can look up to and take advice from.

He added: “I’m 25 this year and there are obviously a lot of good youngsters coming through and it’s good that I can be there to advise them.

“It’s a great atmosphere. It is like playing with your friends in the park but obviously with an objective to win the game so you can get the best of both worlds with that.”

Mourinho increasingly turned to Lingard over the course of a season in which the Portuguese often bemoaned a hectic fixture schedule and the former Brighton and Hove Albion loanee cited some of the areas of his game that have improved under his manager.

“My overall awareness on the pitch. Knowing where you are on the pitch. Doing things in the right areas, that’s very key,” he explained. 

“Each day you are learning and you can see from the manager about game-management and what he wants you to do on the pitch. Especially when winning games. So you are learning and learning well.

“Coming towards the end of the season I played a lot of games, which was good.

“It’s good that the manager trusts me. He was playing me in different positions. At a big club sometimes you are going to be in and sometimes you are going to be out, but it’s how you deal with that. Once you play you’ve got to show the manager what you can do.”