Jesse Lingard

[Riskur]

LINGARD: WE'VE LEARNED A LOT THIS SEASON

Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard insists the Reds can win the Premier League next season, following a successful campaign in 2016/17.

The Reds lifted the Community Shield and EFL Cup before securing Champions League football by winning the UEFA Europa League in Stockholm on 24 May.

Lingard believes United's successes are enough to suggest that Jose Mourinho's men will challenge in the top flight next season. Read what the winger had to say in his end-of-season Q&A below...

Firstly Jesse, how do you view the season from the team's point of view?
I think finishing inside the top four and winning the league was our ambition at the start of the season. We know we've got the players capable of winning the league but it didn't happen - we've had to play through the Europa League to get to the Champions League. Individually, we could have done better and as a team we could have done better, but football is all about learning and you're always going to learn with every game. We'll take this experience into next season.

From a personal perspective, you started the season with a goal at Wembley and also scored in the League Cup final. Are those the two big highlights for you?
Yeah, of course. I think to help the team lift silverware is always massive, the team effort through those competitions has got us into finals and then you have to produce on the day.

Does the 25-game unbeaten run give you confidence going into next season?
Yeah, definitely. It shows we're capable of anything. If we'd managed to convert those draws at home into wins we'd have been up there with Chelsea and Tottenham, so it's all there for us, but it's just about doing it on matchday.

It must have been nice to link up with Paul Pogba again this season...
It's been great. I've known him since our time together with the Under-18s and it's great to have him back and great to play alongside him again. We obviously won the FA Youth Cup together in the Academy so to take that into the first team and win more silverware has been brilliant.

You've obviously seen Marcus Rashford's development this season after an incredible first campaign - how much do you think he's improved?
Yeah, he's doing really well. He's obviously had to play up front with Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] being injured, but he's come to the front and popped up with some crucial goals.

Is it now a case of building on this season going into the 2017/18 campaign?
Of course. There have been a lot of positives this season; the manager has got us well drilled and if we take that into next season with more goals and turning draws into wins, I don't see why we can't be challenging for the title.

Look out for the full interview with Jesse on the Official Manchester United Season Review 2016/17 DVD. Information on how to order your copy will be published on ManUtd.com in due course.

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