Jesse making jump in the right direction
HIMSELF A GOAL TARGET FOR SEASON
JESSE Lingard is making ‘the jump’ into becoming ‘a very good player’ according to Jose Mourinho.
The United forward’s hot form continued in the 2-0 win at Everton on New Year’s Day as he claimed his 10th goal of the season with a superb strike from the edge of the box.
He has now scored seven and registered two assists in his past nine Premier League appearances – and set himself a season’s goal target as he goes about making the 2017/18 campaign his best as a United player.
Asked about the 25-year-old’s growing influence, Mourinho described Lingard as going ‘in a good direction.’ “These boys – they either jump or they don’t jump,” he said. “It’s one thing to be a young talent, and another thing is to be a very good player.
“Some players are not capable to do that jump. They go from great potential young players to normal players. I think Jesse is making that jump.
“He is being more consistent, he is adaptable, he understands better the game, he understands the different spaces and positions. I think he is going in a good direction.”
Seven of Lingard’s goals have come in Premier League action and he has a total of how many he wants to finish the season with.
He said: “I have still got a target in mind and I’m working towards that. I just want to assist and score goals to help the team – it’s good for me and that’s my aim. It’s secret. But I’m working towards it and I’ll keep working hard to help the team. It’s always good for us to score as attacking players and to help the team get the three points.
“I’m pushing myself and trying to get as many goals as possible this season.”
Lingard was happy to open the year with a win after three consecutive Premier League draws.
He said: “I thought we created a few chances in the first half and were dominant, comfortable on the ball and had a lot of freedom and enjoyment so we knew the chances would come in the second half. “We’ve had a lot of games but we’ve had the spirit to get through the matches. It’s good to start the new year with a win and the travelling fans were great for us again.” Anthony Martial started the game as the lead striker in the absence of Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Lingard added: “We’ve got the people to adapt to the different systems that we play and Anthony [Martial] has come with the right mentality, grabbed himself a goal, and it gave us that confidence and that energy throughout the game.” Jose Mourinho on Jesse Lingard