Jesse Lingard Is a lot More Important to Manchester United Than One Would Think

The name Jesse Lingard will probably make any United fan clench their fists. The English footballer had a very underwhelming season last year at Old Trafford as he only managed to net four goals and 2 assists. Yes, he struggled with injuries but his inability to impact games in just about any way cost United dearly. This year, it looks like that could change as United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer takes a page out of Gareth Southgate's book.

So what do I mean by that? In the 2018 World Cup, Jesse Lingard played alongside Dele Alli as duel attacking midfielders as England played with a back-five allowing their wing-backs to dash up the widths of the pitch. Because of this, Lingard and Dele controlled the center of the pitch while also being in a position to impact the game on the widths if needed. Both players were required to cover a large amount of ground and they both excelled in their respective roles. England played with a 3-5-2 and it propelled them to the semi-finals. United isn't playing with the same formation, but they're implementing some of Southgate's philosophies.

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So United started the game with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Lingard was deployed as a left-winger/forward with Andreas Pereira starting in the #10 role. Despite this, Lingard would come into the middle of the pitch throughout the game and shine. I think people who label him strictly as a forward aren't seeing the whole picture.

Lingard can dictate play. On Sunday, despite not netting a goal or recording an assist, Lingard was in the middle of the action. He was constantly playing the ball and I rarely saw him hanging on to it for more than a few seconds. He was a huge part of the United attack.

So why is Lingard playing in this role? For starters, I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Pereira just isn't very good. He was easily the weak link in the team as he often looked nervous in possession. Yes, he recorded an assist but he needs to be better. Hopefully for United’s sake, Pereria develops quickly.

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Secondly, I think it's because of what Lingard does best. England saw success last summer thanks to the likes of Dele and Lingard as attacking midfielders. Lingard is an extremely fast player with tremendous technical ability. Like Dele, he can impact gams and let play run through him. Something he excelled at on Sunday. But here's where it gets tricky.

Say Lingard starts in the #10 role next game over Andreas Pereira. Pereria doesn't have the skill-set to play as a forward/winger so United would be forced to play Daniel James or Mason Greenwood in that given position. Believe me, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing but United would practically be stripped of their depth at the forward position if this was to be done ss practically nobody would be available of the bench thus straining United’s starting XI.

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So United will most likely be forced to deploy Lingard on the width of the pitch. If only Pereira could effectively transition to the left-hand side. Only a few teams boast a trio of sorts. The combination of Coutinho, Griezmann, and Messi is the best example considering all-three can play in the middle of the pitch or on the width making for fluid motion between the three. This is the ideal front-three as it makes the forwards extremely hard to track and makes for a versatile attack that can score goals in just about any way.

So there you have it. Just a short piece from me on how Lingard is more valuable than you would think. Even so, he definitely needs to get his goal and assist tallies up. And if he does, he will the player every United wishes him to be.