Can Jesse Lingard make the cut at Manchester United?

Louis van Gaal has given youth a chance at every major coaching job he has landed. Will the Dutchman do the same for Jesse Lingard?

What do Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf, Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta & Thomas Muller have in common? Well apart from being some of the finest footballers of their respective generations they were all made first team members by Louis van Gaal. The former Netherlands manager is a firm believer in promoting a rising star from the academy and many of Manchester Unitedai??i??s best young prospects must be drooling at the prospect of working under the Dutchman.

Manchester United as a club as well is one of the few football institutions in the country who have historically allowed some of their younger talents to replace the established first team members. The mind quickly wanders back to the summer of 1995 when after securing the double of the Premier League and the FA Cup Sir Alex Ferguson jettisoned off Paul Ince, Andrei Kanchelskis & Mark Hughes in favour of the Neville brothers, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, et al. And everyone knows what happened next. More than 50 years prior to Fergieai??i??s Fledglings, as the aforementioned class is often referred to, was the era of the Busby Babes. These players under the tutelage of Sir Matt Busby and Jimmy Murphy won the FA Youth Cup five times in a row and seized their place in the first team.

What both of these facts demonstrate is that for young talent trying to make a name for themselves at a top European club in the present moment, there are few places better than Old Trafford.

This is where Jesse Lingard comes in. Born in Warrington, which is a town equidistant from both Merseyside & Manchester, the two footballing strongholds in the north west of England, Lingard had a chance to sign for either Liverpool or United at the age of nine. He chose the latter and was always seen by Ferguson as someone who would eventually make the first team at Manchester United.

Lingard progressed through the youth academy and was a part of the team which won the 2010-11 FA Youth Cup. That team also contained Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison, two players who would eventually follow different trajectories as far as fulfilling their immense potential was concerned. While Pogba has moved on to Juventus and become one of the best young players in the world, Morrison was sold to West Ham United when it emerged that no one at Carrington could manage this temperamental youngster.

But while both Pogba & Morrison chose destinations elsewhere to continue their football education, Lingard has stayed with the Red

Lingard faces a decisive season at Manchester United (Source -Man United.com)

Devils in the hope that some day he will be the star at The Theatre of Dreams. It has not been easy though for this 21 year old who has spent more time on loan than with the Manchester United first team. Initially came the spell at Leicester City which was followed by two half yearly stints at Birmingham City & Brighton & Hove Albion. While at Birmingham Lingard gave a brief demonstration of his talent when he scored four in one match against Sheffield Wednesday. But his spell at the Midlands ended on a sour note when he was suspended for two matches following a wild lunge on Jordi Gomez after being denied a free kick.

For Manchester United though Lingard has failed to make a mark apart from last seasonai??i??s summer tour to Australia and the Far East. He emerged as the top scorer during these friendlies and it was thought that both he & Adnan Janujaz would be the bright young players to look out for at Old Trafford. But while Janujaz has gone on to establish himself Lingard has had to stay patient, something which has not gone down well with Paul Scholes. The former United midfielder believes that Lingard has a lot of potential and should be given an opportunity to shine for The Red Devils.

Lingard is one of those modern players who love playing on the left in a 4-3-3 or as an attacking midfielder in a 4-1-2-1-2 as he is adept at cutting inside or running at pace towards the opposition defence. The goals he scored in Unitedai??i??s pre season last year demonstrate this fact.

But the problem which young Jesse faces is that there is a lot of competition in the final third for United from the likes of Juan Mata, Shinji Kagawa and Januzaj. While Lingard could get the nod ahead of Kagawa especially considering the Japanese internationalai??i??s indifferent form for United over the past two seasons, it is going to be really tough to dislodge the other two players mentioned.

One thing which this Cheshire born player has going for him is Van Gaalai??i??s propensity to play with wide players and Unitedai??i??s current lack of them. At the World Cup it was a very common sight to see Memphis Depay and Arjen Robben stretching defences and if Lingard has to have a future under Van Gaal he has to play in a way similar to which Depay played for the Dutch.

Both Nani & Ashley Young were struggling for form & fitness last season and it does not seem likely that Van Gaal will buy a wide man given the need for United to strengthen in other areas. This gives Lingard the ideal opportunity to grab the left wing spot and make it his own.

Lingard does have the pace & the goal scoring ability to play for Manchester United but it is the presence or absence of big match temperament and the openness to flexibility which will ultimately decide his future at Old Trafford under Van Gaal.

Can Jesse Lingard Make The Cut At Manchester United?

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