Manchester United’s style of play is a dynamic one that involves a lot of movement and switching on the pitch.
The ability to draw defenders out of position and create goal-scoring chances is a big part of their play and few players in the squad exemplify that like Jesse Lingard.
He gets up and down the pitch, makes good runs off the ball to create space but his effectiveness on the ball in terms of his goal involvement has been lacking.
Some fans term his style of play as unselfish but even when he is on the ball, he doesn’t do much with it.
In Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea on game week one, Jesse Lingard’s influence in the game was at times noticeable but not enough to suggest that without him United would have lost.
Against Wolves, he played badly and was totally uninvolved throughout. He made no key passes and had no shots at all during the game.
Jesse Lingard’s poor form dates back beyond this season for his club. For Manchester United, Jesse Lingard has not scored or assisted since December 2018.
❌ May 2018
❌ Aug 2018
❌ Sep 2018
❌ Oct 2018
❌ Nov 2018
✅ Dec 2018
❌ Jan 2019
❌ Feb 2019
❌ Mar 2019
❌ Apr 2019
❌ May 2019
❌ Aug 2019#MUFC #Lingard https://t.co/VSYq1tls3e— GiveMeSport Football (@GMS__Football) August 20, 2019
This season, Lingard has second the lowest rating of any Manchester United player (6.70) that has played over a century of minutes for the club with Daniel James (6.68) having the lowest rating according to Whoscored
It’s important to note that Daniel James started only one game and has already scored for the Red Devils.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s continued trust in him may motivate the England International to up his game but if that is not the case, his Manager has different players in that position to choose from. It’s a result-oriented League and United cannot afford any drawbacks.
The likes of Juan Mata, who is a proven central attacking midfielder, Andreas Periera who can also play there and Angel Gomes, who had an excellent preseason and is also a fan favourite.
Stats that shame Lingard
V. Wolves:
Key pass – 0
Shot – 0
Dribbles – 0V. Chelsea:
Key pass – 1
Shot – 0
Dribbles – 4We have sufficient creativity in Angel Gomes who deserves to start ahead of Lingard.
— Aghogho Okpako, Esq. (@OkpakoFergus) August 21, 2019
At 26, Lingard is expected to be at the peak of his powers, playing his best football. Also, being one of the senior players in the squad, he should be setting an on-field example not just with running that now seems meaningless but actually end product or he risks losing his place in the squad.
