Jesse Lingard has revealed he rejected Liverpool to sign for Manchester United as a seven-year-old.
A first senior cap would complete a whirlwind period for the 22-year-old, who made his first Champions League appearance against CSKA Moscow in Russia four weeks ago and has still only amassed just eight first-team appearances for United.
Lingard made his Champions League debut against CSKA Moscow
The Warrington-born winger has been with United since the age of seven, however, and he has now admitted that he was at the centre of a tug-of-war between the Old Trafford club and bitter rivals Liverpool as a young schoolboy.
“I was at a local club called Penketh United and Mike Glennie, a Manchester United scout, came to watch me,” Lingard told MUTV. “He spoke to my grandad and offered me trials, but there was also interest from Liverpool and I had to pick.
“I was only young, but obviously my heart was with United at the time.
“Going through the years, I was with Larnell Cole, Mike and Will Keane, Sam [Johnstone], Ravel [Morrison] and Tunners [Ryan Tunnicliffe].
“There are a lot of lads still doing their thing at other clubs and they’re happy seeing me where I am.
Lingard scored against West Brom earlier this month
“I’ve won a lot of trophies – like the FA Youth Cup and the Reserves league a couple of times – but it would top it off to win the Premier League with the first team.”
Lingard made the breakthrough into the first-team by starring in the 2013 summer tour of the Far East and Australia before manager David Moyes opted against retaining the youngster in his squad, instead loaning him out to Birmingham and Brighton.
A further loan at Derby followed last season after Lingard was injured in Louis van Gaal’s first competitive game in charge, but after finally being handed a sustained run in the team at United, the player admits the club stood by him when it seemed he would be too small to make the grade.
“I think it’s just been an incredible experience, coming through from the Under-7s to where I am now and what I’ve achieved already,” Lingard said.
“It’s been incredible and I can’t thank the United staff enough.
“They could have let me go because of my height and I would now be playing somewhere else but they stuck with me. They saw my ability and I’m thankful for that.
“In my first year [at the Academy], I didn’t really play for the Under-18s because of my physique.
“But for the transition from the Under-18s to the reserves, I was with [reserve team manager] Warren [Joyce] in the gym every day.
“Even when I was on loan, I still had to keep the gym work up as he wouldn’t let me slack off at all. He knew the player I could be.”
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