.As Lingard impressed
Romelu Lukaku is already paying that £75 million (about $98 million) back to Manchester United after opening his account in a pre-season friendly on Monday night.
Jose Mourinho’s team is on a tour of the United States to prepare for next season’s Premier League, and faced MLS club Real Salt Lake at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Utah.
Lukaku was given his first start in a Manchester United jersey, playing at the front of a 4-3-3 formation alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard.
And it was Mkhitaryan’s smart pass on 38 minutes that Lukaku had to thank for helping him score his first goal in a United shirt. The Armenian fed the on-running Lukaku, who cut back onto his favored left foot and beat Real’s defenders and goalkeeper.
Now, the big names start to get involved, as the first-ever Manchester derby abroad will take place against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in Houston on July 20.
In games that should be money-spinners, United takes on Real Madrid in Santa Clara on July 23 and Barcelona in Washington D.C. on July 26.
Once the U.S. portion of the tour is over, United returns to Europe to play Valerena in Oslo, Norway, on July 30 and Serie A side Sampdoria in Dublin on August 2.
The Premier League season begins for Mourinho’s team with a home fixture against West Ham United on August 12.
Before a competitive ball is kicked, Mourinho is still keen on adding personnel to his squad. Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic, who was signed by Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, is one target, along with Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, who is expected to cost around £44 million.
Meanwhile, on Monday night Jesse Lingard delivered another example of just what he can offer Mourinho’s side as United’s 10 men overcame a lively Real Salt Lake side, triumphing 2-1 in the second game of their pre-season tour. While the Red Devils will come up against far more challenging opponents before the new campaign begins, this was a decent test of their progress so far.
Typically for an early pre-season game there was a lack of cohesion at times, particularly after their fast start gave way to a more laboured period as United failed to keep with the pace set by a first-choice RSL lineup who knew they could expend some energy ahead of their scheduled withdrawals after half an hour.
Yet Lingard was one of United’s stand-outs as they eventually pulled their way back into the game after Luis Silva’s opener, having a hand in Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s opener before helping to tee up Romelu Lukaku for his first goal in United colours.
As Lingard’s involvement grew, so too did his confidence and his influence. With Mourinho lining his side up in a 4-3-3 formation with a fluid attacking setup, the 24-year-old revelled in the restrictions being lifted as he popped up in a number of different areas within the final third to put United in decent positions.
Scott McTominay also impressed in midfield, while Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba were prevalent in the first-half comeback to give Mourinho some reasons to be cheerful. However, the second-half sending-off of Antonio Valencia for a dangerous tackle from behind will have been a minor annoyance, even if the manager decided not to heed the warning of the referee that he was about to send off the Ecuadorian if Mourinho didn’t withdraw him.
With the match coming within 48 hours of their 5-2 win over the LA Galaxy and played in intense heat at altitude, it is hardly the end of the world that United were far from convincing. With their first International Champions Cup fixture coming up against Manchester City in Houston on Thursday, United got a good workout from RSL ahead of the step up in intensity.
And Lingard will be particularly pleased with his evening’s work. When your value to the side is questioned in every single game, every opportunity to impress is more than welcomed.
Mourinho is not a man who believes in always picking the same XI week-in, week-out, and Lingard’s value to the squad is something the Portuguese isn’t about to underestimate — even if many United fans continue to do so.
.newsweek; and Goal/com
