Here are your Thursday evening Manchester United headlines.
Jesse Lingard's struggles
Former Manchester United player Jesse Lingard has explained that his mother's battle with depression made it difficult for him to focus on football.
In his final seasons at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, Lingard's form on the pitch began to dip. During the 2019/20 season, the Englishman struggled to perform for the Reds and he has now explained that off-field matters hindered his performance.
Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Lingard explained: "The depression was so bad she [his mother] couldn’t really cope and she needed to go away and get help. But leaving me with my little sister, who was 11 at the time, and my little brother, who was 15, for me, I was still going through my own things as well.
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"So I wasn’t really the big brother they wanted at the time. They always get the fun, laughy, bubbly Jesse and I was going through my own things, so I was on autopilot. I just wasn’t there, mentally wasn’t there. I was on the pitch but I didn’t want to be on the pitch, I didn’t want to play."
David de Gea sends message
On a day when Manchester United were linked with one of the goalkeepers who has taken David de Gea's place in the Spanish national team, their current No. 1 issued the perfect reminder that it is what you do with your hands that really counts.
United are one of three of the big six who have reportedly cast a glance at David Raya, a reliable goalkeeper for Brentford whose biggest attribute is his ability with his feet. As Jurgen Klopp said of him last season, "the goalkeeper could wear the number 10 shirt."
But he has to wear the number one shirt and few do it better than De Gea. It feels like the 32-year-old's relationship with United supporters has been rekindled recently. He is over his rocky patch and looks back to his best.
Life under his ninth United manager, caretaker or permanent, got off to an uncertain start at Brentford, but De Gea fronted up after that game and took responsibility for his own mistakes. He blundered bizarrely against Everton recently but has generally been excellent this season.
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