UNITED START TO REKINDLE FAMOUS TRAIT
THERE is no suggestion that Manchester United have fully regained their canny knack of striking late just yet, but Jesse Lingard believes the famous spirit of old could be back. Sir Alex Ferguson’s United were once renowned for pouring forward in a bid to win games they had no right to — a trait which has been lost since the Scot’s retirement two years ago. Troy Deeney’s 90th-minute own goal at Watford marked only the second time United have clinched three points in the final five minutes under Louis van Gaal. The other came against Newcastle in March and Lingard — whose sharp turn and shot proved key in Deeney’s misfortune — hopes they continue to chase games. ‘The thing about United is we have a fighting spirit and are always known for comebacks,’ said the 22-year-old. ‘We saw that here. We just needed to plug on for five minutes. As soon as the ball came back to me, I was going to shoot and hope someone was at the back post.’ Bastian Schweinsteiger was there and knocked it back across goal only for Deeney to accidentally bundle past Heurelho Gomes soon after Watford had equalised. Lingard claimed van Gaal had drummed the importance of those closing moments into his players. The manager did, however, see Phil Jones and Ander Herrera hobble off, with both set to miss Wednesday’s Champions League clash against PSV Eindhoven. Arsenal and City’s defeats mean van Gaal’s side move second in the table, one point behind Leicester, and Lingard believes the gutsy win delivered a psychological blow in the race at the top. ‘It’s massive,’ said Lingard. ‘It’s a bit of a statement to the other teams, who will look at this and see we’ve won. It puts a bit more pressure on them, but it’s a good feeling to be back up there. ‘There are a lot of games coming up, we’ve got a lot of injuries at the moment and have to adapt to that, I thought we did that well today. As long as we win as many games as we can over Christmas.’ Lingard admitted to pinching himself at how his career has accelerated, with eight games for United and a call-up to the England squad. ‘It feels like everything has changed in a month!’ he said.