Phil Neville believes Jesse Lingard is a more appreciated player inside Manchester United than outside the football club.
The winger has come into his own in the last week with goals against Watford and Arsenal respectively and was adjudicated the Man of the Match at the Emirates on Saturday.
Lingard’s ability to run at defenders and his understanding of space have made him an important part of Jose Mourinho’s plans and Neville believes the Manchester United manager knows when to throw in the winger during important games.
The former Manchester United defender is certain that Lingard will start in the Manchester derby on Sunday at Old Trafford and stressed his importance in the team’s set-up.
Neville also believes Lingard is a much more appreciated figure inside the Manchester United dressing room compared to his popularity amongst the fans.
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The former defender said on BBC Radio 5 live when asked about Lingard: “Jose knows when to play him, he played him against Chelsea when Jose had this tactical master plan.
“Jesse Lingard will play in the derby without a shadow of a doubt because he can understand different positions, he can understand the game plan and he has got energy.
“Normally when [Juan] Mata plays it’s more technical but when Lingard plays it’s a running game and all of a sudden when the ball goes to [Romelu] Lukaku he is the first one to get there, with [Anthony] Martial and [Marcus] Rashford joining in.
“He’s not the most popular of footballers outside the club. Fans will say what they think about Lingard but inside the football club [he is valued].
“He’s a young lad who has come through and he’s had a brilliant week and he will play in the derby.”
A product of the Manchester United academy, the winger has turned in 102 appearances for the club.
