Jesse Lingard isn’t the only Manchester United player struggling for form this season.
Lingard was named in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s starting XI on Thursday night as United played Partizan Belgrade, and his inclusion in the starting line up came at the expense of youngster Mason Greenwood.
Solskjaer starting Lingard came as a surprise to some, with the midfielder recently being subjected to criticism from fans for his lacklustre performances.
Despite United winning the Europa League clash 1-0, Lingard failed to shine, as his torrid run of form continued and another quiet 90 minutes meant that across all competitions, Lingard has registered just one assist while also failing to score in this calendar year.
However, while Lingard would most likely admit himself that his goal involvement is not good enough, there could be a reason behind his string of poor displays.
Lingard had a glittering World Cup for England last summer, and he was a vital part of England’s side that reached the semi-finals, for the first time since Italia 1990.
The key to his success at the tournament was his tireless work rate, and against Colombia in the quarter finals, he covered 15.4 kilometres which was more than a kilometre further than anyone else on the pitch.
The data also showed that Lingard spent the lowest percentage of time moving at speeds below seven kilometres per hour of anyone on the pitch, which was a testament to his relentless efforts.
Lingard also ended the competition with the second highest pass completion, out of the players at the World Cup, who started three times.
England used a 5-3-2 formation in Russia, and Lingard was used to help connect defence and attack and on the back of his exploits last summer, and his poor performances this campaign, it is highly plausible that Lingard is best suited to playing in a 5-3-2 formation.
While Lingard has continued to tirelessly work hard for United this season, he has failed to provide assists or goals however that could be explained by the England international struggling to perform in United’s previous 4-2-3-1 system.
But now his fortunes may change, as Solskjaer has opted to use the same system as Southgate’s. The new system, that Lingard flourished in under Southgate, was used in United’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool and once again in Serbia on Thursday night.
It’s expected Solskjaer will use the same tactics as United travel to Norwich on Sunday and the change of system should bring out the best in Lingard and fans will be hoping it could prove to be the inspiration that kick-starts his United season.
