It has been reported that Manchester United youth coach Paul McGuinness has expressed his pride in the recent first team performances of Academy graduate Jesse Lingard.
The 22-year-old scored his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion last weekend and was subsequently called up for the England national squad for Tuesday’s friendly with France.
When asked about Lingard’s development, a proud McGuinness told MUTV: “Well, I think everybody who has worked in the Academy in the last few years and been involved with Jesse was delighted. He’s a real success story for everybody, particularly for himself, as he’s worked so hard and all his family have backed him and so on by bringing him here for so many years. He probably wouldn’t have had the same opportunities at another Academy. It’s one thing we do pretty well – we work with late developers.
“He was very small when he was younger, a late developer coming through, but we saw the talent and everybody believed in him. I think that gave him the confidence to keep going and develop himself so we’re absolutely delighted he’s doing so well in the first team.”