This is seriously impressive.
Jesse Lingard has had a phenomenal season. Every man, woman and child on earth could attest to this fact. Once a peripheral and almost frustrating figure at Old Trafford who would occasionally produce the spectacular, he appeared unlikely to ever become a central creative force at Old Trafford.
All that has changed this season however, as the Manchester-native has evolved into a player to be reckoned with for both club and country.
While this is clear to anyone who has watched him, a statistic released today by Opta illustrates just how remarkable his improvement has been compared to previous seasons at the club.
19 – Jesse Lingard has been directly involved in 19 goals in all competitions this season (13 goals, 6 assists), one more than he managed in his previous three campaigns for Man Utd combined (18). Development.
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 18, 2018
Lingard has always been a fan of scoring crucial goals, often in cup finals, but whereas previously he often struggled to produce his best work against teams who were difficult to break down, this season has seen him progress in leaps and bounds.
Whether it has been a case of maturity, physical development, confidence or all three, the 2017/18 season has been the one in which Lingard truly staked his claim as someone to be considered an automatic starter in Jose Mourinho’s team.
His performances have already proved this to be the case, and now the stats do too.
