Jesse Lingard

Jesse Lingard can claim to be one of only three players to have scored in the FA Cup Final, EFL Cup Final, and FA Community Shield. He won all three with Manchester United, the team he joined as a seven-year-old schoolboy back in 2000. Now over a decade into his professional career, he has also enjoyed loan spells with Brighton & Hove Albion, Birmingham City, Derby County, and West Ham. The latter club moved to sign him permanently at the end of the 2021-22 season. He has won more than 30 England caps, being particularly active in their 2018 World Cup campaign.

Lingard was born in Warrington in 1992. He was signed to Manchester United’s schoolboy academy and began developing his game with them. His youth career culminated in playing with the FA Youth Cup-winning side of 2010-11. He was then offered a professional contract with the Reds. In 2012, he was sent on loan to Leicester City, and it was with them that he made his professional debut. He was then loaned to Championship sides Birmingham and Brighton during the 2013-14 season, making more than a dozen appearances for each.

A season with Derby County followed before Lingard finally broke into the Man U first team during the 2015-16 season. For the next four seasons, he established himself in the United midfield, winning the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and Community Shield with them — and scoring in all three finals. A season on loan with West Ham saw him win Premier League Player of the Month and Goal of the Month. He returned to Old Trafford for a season, but West Ham were one of many clubs looking to tempt him to permanently sign for them.