Jesse Lingard says that he is confident he has a future at Manchester United, saying that the club is “in his blood” after scoring in Wednesday’s Europa League victory over LASK.
Lingard scored the first of Man Utd’s two goals on the day, leading the way in a 2-1 win that sealed a 7-1 aggregate triumph.
The goal was Lingard’s second in as many matches, having failed to score in the Premier League until the final moments of Manchester United’s final match of the season.
In total, Lingard has four goals across all competitions, but the midfielder is the first to admit that this season wasn’t one that was up to his expectations.
With only Man Utd’s Europa League run left in what has been a tough season, Lingard says Wednesday’s goal was vital for his confidence as he looks to return to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s regular XI.
“Of course, you take confidence from goals,” he told BT Sport. “I wanted to add goals this season and I started and scored, so hopefully now I can carry on throughout the rest of this competition.”
He added: “When you’re not in the right mental state, football takes your mind away from everything. I love playing football, enjoy football and, of course, Man Utd is in my blood. I love playing for the club.”
Lingard has been linked with a potential departure in recent weeks with there being a possibility he could end a stay with Man Utd that began at just eight years old.
But Lingard says he’s confident that he can remain and play a role for the team in both the short and long term.
When asked if he believes he’ll get chances at Man Utd, Lingard said: “100 per cent. Playing against LASK Today, there’s a lot of space in behind and my goal was part of that. Seeing the run, I stayed onside and had to be composed.”
While Lingard did score on the day, he was taken out after just 63 minutes as Solskjaer introduced Paul Pogba.
Man Utd are set to face Copenhagen on Monday in their next Europa League tie and, while Lingard was disappointed at the time, he says he isn’t frustrated by Solskjaer’s decision.
“I was enjoying the game and I enjoy football matches,” he said. “I felt like I could have scored more today but obviously it’s the manager’s decision and I stand by that.
“We need the squad now,” he added. “We’re doing well in personnel with injuries and we’ve come together as a team this week. We fly out for the Copenhagen game and, of course, our mind is on that and getting through that.”