Jesse Lingard has never been anything more than a squad player for Manchester United.In fact, it looked as if he was nearing an exit from the club earlier on in the season, but he has revitalised his career at Old Trafford in the past few weeks.The Englishman was given just his second Premier League start prior to his side's visit to Watford two weeks ago, and he seized his chance to impress.The 24-year-old picked up an assist, before sealing the points for his side after embarking a quite brilliant solo run that even Lionel Messi would be proud of.His impressive performance earned him another start against Arsenal a week later, and he repaid Jose Mourinho's faith by scoring two goals as Man United claimed a vital 3-1 victory.He is expected to make his third consecutive start in the league in the Manchester derby later on Sunday.
STAN COLLYMORE PRAISES LINGARD
Lingard has been playing extremely well in recent weeks, and Stan Collymore has also been impressed with his recent form.
However, Collymore's comments about Lingard ahead of the Manchester derby seems to have gone down very badly on Twitter.
The former Liverpool forward has built a poor reputation for himself with his actions and comments in the past, and he endured the wrath of the public again after claiming Lingard was in the same bracket as Leroy Sane and Kevin de Bruyne.
"Never did I think I’d put Jesse Lingard in the same bracket as Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane," Collymore wrote in his column for The Mirror.
"But if De Bruyne and Sane are the men most likely to make the difference for Manchester City this afternoon, then Lingard can be that man for Manchester United.
"No-one should underestimate the impact a local lad can have in a derby. They can make you sink or swim. They understood the value of these game, the importance of them to the fans.
"United have two local lads in Lingard and Marcus Rashford and, while Rashford is playing well, Lingard is the man in real form."
HAVE THE FANS GOT IT WRONG?
In defence of Collymore, he didn't say that Lingard was in the same quality bracket as Sane and De Bruyne, but that they were in the same bracket because they can be the difference makers for their teams.
Therefore, it could be argued that fans have gone a bit over the top with their reaction.
Nevertheless, to put Lingard in the same bracket as the two Manchester City players in question, regardless of the context, does seem laughable.
And fans were quick to destroy Collymore for his opinion.