"I need to get back to my best" - Jesse Lingard admits he must improve Manchester United form
Jesse Lingard believes he is getting back to his best as he targets trophies with both Manchester United and England.
The forward notched his first goal of the season on Thursday as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side lost 2-1 to Astana in the Europa League.
Lingard has acknowledged that his form dipped in recent months, but he is now looking to help both club and country claim silverware.
"There’s always that hunger and fight for positions and obviously it goes down to form and where you’re at club-wise so, for me, it’s about getting back to the Jesse that everyone knows and the Jesse Lingard that I know,” he said.
“Things can affect that on the pitch, off the pitch, but mentality is key, confidence is key and belief is key. I’m a player who likes to score goals, make assists and, for me, I need to get back to that, back to my best and I feel I’m slowly but surely getting back there.
“For club, my ambition is definitely a trophy. We’ve worked so hard last season, this season we started off well. A trophy is in our sights and we have to concentrate on winning a trophy, getting that winning feeling by lifting a trophy.
“For England, Euros is a really important competition. It’s in Europe, quite a few games at Wembley, a ground we’re used to, so the ball’s in our court and I feel we can do well in that competition.
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“Any competition that Man United are in, we want to win that trophy. The Europa League, we want to win that, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, we want as many trophies as we can. That’s down to everyone’s mentality and we have that winning mentality at United. That’s what we expect.”
United will be looking to close the gap separating them from the top four when they face Aston Villa on Sunday.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).