Jesse Lingard was back on the score-sheet for Man United on Saturday

Jesse Lingard was back on the score-sheet for Man United on Saturday and he is proving he still has plenty to offer.

On a day in which Cristiano Ronaldo’s return was the story and Bruno Fernandes did his level best to steal the headlines with a thumping finish from distance, it may well have been Jesse Lingard who scored the best goal of the game against Newcastle.

It wasn’t as thunderous as Fernandes’ strike, but the intricacy and movement for the final goal in the 4-1 victory was certainly the most pleasing to watch and bodes well for how United’s attack will work going forward.

Lingard started the phase of play, sliding the ball to the irresistible Paul Pogba, and carried on his run goalwards. The Frenchman then ghosted past three players and then nudged the ball to Donny van de Beek before immediately getting it back. He then pulled off a twisting pass that is a more common sight on video games, which Anthony Martial let run to Lingard, who dropped a shoulder to get around a defender and then elegantly lifted the ball into the net.

So on a day that was about one man, it ended with a homegrown hero who’s had to endure plenty of downs in recent years lapping up the adoration of the Stretford End.

It was Lingard’s first Premier League goal at Old Trafford since December 2018 and no more than what he deserves for the remarkable turnaround in form he has had in 2021.

After scoring twice and grabbing an assist in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first game in charge against Cardiff City, the 27-year-old then went a remarkable 34 appearances, spanning over 18-months, before he scored or set up a league goal again. And even then that strike, on the final day of the 2019/20 season, was a fortunate tap-in in the last minute.

The arrival of Bruno Fernandes had seriously limited his playing time and the following season he didn’t make a single appearance in the league until a loan move to West Ham United in January. It looked as if he had played his final game in a red shirt.

Then the remarkable happened. Given a consistent starting berth in a team that suited his strengths, the old Lingard returned. An exciting forward full of confidence and swagger, playing with a smile on his face. He spearheaded the Hammers to a Europa League finish with nine goals and a further five assists in just 16 games.

His form was so impressive that he received a surprising yet completely deserved recall to the England set-up ahead of Euro 2020, although he eventually missed out on the final squad for the tournament by what must have been the thinnest of margins.

Despite his brilliant performances, however, it still seemed like Linard’s time at United was over. Predictably, West Ham were desperate for him to return to the club and United had so much depth in attack that it still looked impossible for him to break into the team – and that’s before Jadon Sancho and Ronaldo arrived.

Yet, in spite of a full summer of speculation, Lingard remained at Old Trafford to fight for his place.

He played well in pre-season. In his first game back at Derby County he started a move that led to the winning goal and rattled the crossbar from distance, in his second game against QPR he scored and he looked sharp in the following two friendlies as well.

It was a slow start to the season for him, though. A positive Covid test ruled him out of the opener, he was handed just four minutes on his return to the side in the draw with Southampton and was an unused substitute against Wolves.

But he still was called up by Gareth Southgate for the recent international break, kick-started his campaign with two fine finishes vs Andorra and is now back amongst the goals for United.

With Marcus Rashford still several weeks away from a return to action, Edinson Cavani’s fitness being unreliable and Anthony Martial still in a slump of form, Lingard really has a chance to assert himself as the player Solskjaer turns to when games need changing.

It’s still unlikely that he will start many important matches, with Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood and Fernandes nailing down the starting positions, but Lingard is proving he can come on and impact games and his refound confidence is seeming him score really good goals regularly.

But if his great form continues maybe he will start to put pressure on those ahead of him. Luke Shaw’s resurgence since the signing of Alex Telles shows how important good competition for places is and if Lingard’s only role this season is to keep everyone else’s performance levels up, then that’s a big role to play.

But he will certainly be more than that. With the number of games cracking up this week as the Champions League returns, injuries and fatigue are inevitable and Lingard will get opportunities – that could start on Tuesday in the first group stage match against BSC Young Boys.

Lingard is in the final year of his contract and his future remains unclear. But no one expected him to still be at the club so it won’t be surprising if he once again defies the odds, proves he is still an important player at Old Trafford and carries on his love affair with the club.