Football
Arindam Rej, Man United Correspondent 7y

Gareth Southgate praises Jesse Lingard's 'outstanding' England debut

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard was praised for an "outstanding" England debut by the national team's interim manager Gareth Southgate.

Lingard played 90 minutes in the 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Malta at Wembley on Saturday, which was Southgate's first in charge since Sam Allardyce's departure. One of the 23-year-old's United teammates Wayne Rooney also played the full match, but another -- Marcus Rashford -- had to settle for 22 minutes off the bench.

In a flattering appraisal of the debutant's display, Southgate told ITV Sport: "For me, a real positive was Jesse Lingard. I think he had an outstanding debut. He really linked the play well and looked a real threat.

"That's why we wanted to give him the start. He's got a strong mentality. He's an exciting player."

Lingard has a strong recent record at Wembley, having scored the winning goal for United in last season's FA Cup final win over Crystal Palace, then striking another impressive effort in the Community Shield victory over Leicester City that followed.

Southgate added: "The stage was made for him really. He's enjoyed Wembley."

Former United assistant manager Ryan Giggs also spoke about his time working with the former England under-21 midfielder, saying: "Lingard has progressed. He's not one of the 18-19-year-olds that set the world on fire. He's taken a bit of time and has gone out on loan.

"He's trying to sort out what type of player he is because he can play a number of positions. He's a player who gives energy, scores goals and is a real team player but now, at 23, he's got to kick on."

The Welshman also reminisced fondly about working with Lingard when the United player was a schoolboy, saying: "I coached him when he was 10 and the subject for my A license was coaching a No. 10.

"It was a nightmare because he did everything right -- I had nothing to work with. He was an intelligent player, even back then."

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