Login Register
Logout

Lingard can help get the best out of Ibrahimovic and Manchester United

Man Utd winger Jesse Lingard looked lively during Wayne Rooney's testimonial and could have a big role to play under Mourinho.

Jesse Lingard has been praised by Rio Ferdinand.

There has been an awful lot of debate surrounding Wayne Rooney and his place in the Manchester United team.

With Jose Mourinho stipulating that he will not use his captain in midfield and Zlatan Ibrahimovic looking at home as the No.9 , that pushes the England skipper into attacking midfield.

Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are some serious competition and former Red Rio Ferdinand believes Jesse Lingard could also be pivotal to making United tick.

"It was good to see Jesse Lingard playing making runs [against Everton]," he said.

"I think in the footballers' minds he and Rashford are the ones making runs in behind. That's important for Ibrahimovic if he's got someone or a couple of people that will run beyond him which will free up a little bit of space for him.

"When he's on the pitch he's going to draw one of two people to him and will give the players playing around him space so it looks like there's the potential to be a good mix."

Ferdinand stressed it is early days for this United team under Jose Mourinho but is optimistic that the former Chelsea boss can deliver a side that Reds at Old Trafford are more used to watching.

"The Premier League sometimes asks you a lot of different questions and it is a quick and pacy league. United last season played in a very methodical, slow paced way and maybe that wasn't suited to the Premier League.

"Knowing Jose Mourinho's teams, they don't play like that. They might defend sometimes but they're explosive on the counter-attack when they get the ball. You saw in patches against Everton where the game was quickened up and United looked like a team who can produce moments and have more freedom to express themselves in their movement, which is what people have been crying out for."

BT Sport is the only place to watch all four major football competitions in one place, with exclusively live coverage of the Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and the Emirates FA Cup. Watch Leicester versus Manchester United in FA Community Shield exclusively live on BT Sport 2 from 3.15pm on Sunday August 7. For more information visit bt/com/sport.

Comments

Premier League News

Journalists

Neal Keeling
Chief Reporter, Crime, Salford, Fire Service
John Scheerhout
Crime
Charlotte Cox
Wythenshawe, Airport
Yakub Qureshi
Education, Religion
Dean Kirby
Health
Jennifer Williams
Politics, Local government, Trade unions
Paul Britton
Defence, Bury, Bolton, Wigan
Dan Thompson
Investigations
Chris Osuh
Court
Pete Bainbridge
Breaking News
Richard Wheatstone
Blackley, Cheetham Hill, Crumpsall, Collyhurst, Harpurhey, Openshaw, Moston, Newton Heath, Ancoats, Clayton, Gorton, Ardwick
Amy Glendinning
Moss Side, Hulme, Whalley Range, Longsight, Rusholme, Levenshulme, Burnage
Chris Slater
North and East Manchester
Emily Heward
Digital Journalist
Emma Flanagan
Digital Journalist