Jesse Lingard has told FourFourTwo he sees no reason why the pair can’t thrive in the same England side at the World Cup
Manchester United's attacking midfielder enjoyed an excellent campaign in 2017/18, scoring 13 goals in all competitions – including nine in the space of 13 appearances either side of Christmas.
And the former Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton and Derby loanee has taken his club form onto the international scene, breaking his England duck against Holland in March.
Dele Alli didn't quite match his stellar Spurs form from 2016/17, scoring nine Premier League goals compared to 18 a season earlier, so talk has turned to Lingard displacing his Premier League rival in England’s XI.
However, both started the Three Lions’ friendly victory against Nigeria at Wembley last weekend, and Lingard believes they can thrive as a potent pair in Russia when the tournament gets underway.
Speaking in the July 2018 issue of FourFourTwo, Lingard says: “I don’t see why we couldn’t play together. The players we have bring different skills to the team and we can all play together.
“The player in form is going to show his capabilities on a matchday. There’s still a lot of work to do. You’ve got to train hard at an England camp, impress the manager and plant a seed in his head.”
Lingard also insists that while they may be competing for one place in the side, there's no rivalry between himself and Alli, and believes the unity of the squad should stand them in good stead.
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“When we get together with England we’re team-mates, and we have to make sure we get the job done,” he says. “This is a tightly knit group, so I think our togetherness will pull us through.”
Read the full interview with Jesse Lingard in the July 2018 issue of FourFourTwo magazine. A ‘Stars of the 2018 World Cup’ special, we also chat to world champion Mats Hummels, South Korea’s Son Heung-min, Panama legend Roman Torres, Brazil forward Roberto Firmino and his boss Tite. We also profile some of the young stars hoping to make their mark at Russia 2018, hear how a hotel fire helped Joan Capdevila inspire Spain to 2010 World Cup glory, celebrate the story of Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz at France 98, and reveal the World’s Cup biggest villains. Plus, Nigel de Jong gives us his take on ‘that’ tackle against Xabi Alonso in One-on-One. Order a copy today, and then become a subscriber!
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Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.
