Lingard wants to be taken seriously but also have some fun
JESSE LINGARD does not want to take the fun out of his football.
But he doesn’t want people to think he is not deadly serious about doing well for Manchester United and England.
Lingard has risen to prominence over the last 18 months at United, most notably for scoring the winner in last year’s FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace.
That form at United has seen him graduate to England, and he won his first cap in Gareth Southgate’s first game in charge against Malta last October.
But Lingard is just as well k n ow n for elaborate goal celebrations and being filmed dancing in the dressing room with United team-mate Paul Pogba.
Dancing is in the family, as his older brother, Louie, runs a dance studio in Greece and Lingard’s personality is typical of a young guy in the social media generation.
That included filming from inside the United team bus when it was stuck outside Upton Park for a game at West Ham last May, although Lingard insists that video should never have been made public.
Some were critical of it at the time, but the player understands that it comes with the territory.
“Whatever you do in life now, reaction is always going to be mixed,” he reflects.
“At that time at West Ham, you could see it all happening so the
first thing was to get my phone out and start recording.
“It’s just another memory slide in the bank.
“Fun plays a massive part in anyone’s life. I’m the type of guy who is always having a joke and messing around.
“But when it comes to the serious stuff, your head is on the game. I train hard all week and then in your downtime, you relax and have fun with your friends.
“The media pick up on things and you can be judged quickly. But you can’t really judge a person unless you speak to them face-toface and meet them in real life.”
One of those critics was initially Rio Ferdinand. The ex-United and England defender was not too happy with Lingard over the dressing-room video with Pogba.
But Ferdinand had time to reflect and realised that what the pair had done was not so bad.
“We spoke to Rio and had a discussion about it,” says Lingard.
“That is just us. We are happygo-lucky people.
“My mum can dance, my dad can dance and, obviously, my brother can dance, so it just comes naturally to me.
“But I don’t go out of my way to practise anything.”
Sometimes it’s hard to think that Lingard is already 24, as it took a long time for him to come through at Old Trafford.
That included four Championship loan spells at Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton, and Derby.
But that patience has been rewarded as he’s now a regular member of United’s team and forcing his way into the Three Lions reckoning.
“After I went to Derby on loan, I knew it was a make- or- break season,” he admits.
“I couldn’t play reserve football any more.
“I had to play against grown men. I had to learn the game and get that experience.
“I came on at half- time in a game at Everton and I started playing regularly after that.
“Then I knew that Louis van Gaal trusted me and had faith in me and it was great to play all the rest of that season.
“It’s always a battle to stay in the United team but that is good for the group.
“You have to fight for your place and it makes you more hungry on the training pitch. You know when you get your chance, you have to take it.
“It’s always good to look up to the big names in our team – Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan – and see what they have achieved.
“Obviously for the younger players, we gain that experience off them and learn from them.”