Confidence can be such a fragile thing in sport, and we’ve seen so many examples of players who just slide down the ladder as they struggle to rediscover it.
Even if you’ve only played five a side or in the pub leagues you know how tough it can be when you lose confidence, but it’s also amazing how quickly it can come back.
A striker getting a goal, a midfielder making a nice pass or a defender making a clean tackle can all be enough to put you back on your game, and it will be interesting to see what Jesse Lingard does next season.
When you watch his recent performances he doesn’t look like a player who’s simply not good enough, he’s looked like a player who just has no confidence and he second guesses everything.
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He’s trying too hard to make sure everything he does is perfect, but it requires more time and it makes it even harder to pull anything off.
He got his goal today against Leicester after he didn’t give up in pressing the goalkeeper, and that could be enough to give him a massive confidence boost.
Man United’s squad has plenty of deadwood that needs to be cleared out this summer, but there is an argument that Lingard needs another chance.
Gary Neville once made the point that Lingard isn’t good enough to be a starter, but he’s a local boy who the fans will want to get behind, and he does have a place in the squad as a rotation option.
If he’s back to his best then he’ll give Solskjaer a versatile option off the bench, while he should also benefit from the added space now the attack is filled with weapons that will worry the opposition.
It’s so easy for fans to look at a terrible season and write him off, but he’s said the right things away from the pitch and it’s clear that he’s been short of confidence, so he should get another chance to prove himself next season.