Marcus Rashford reveals how Jesse Lingard felt after Manchester United Old Trafford applause

One key talking point ahead of the Manchester United vs Nottingham Forest Premier League clash was Jesse Lingard’s return to the club where he spent 20 years of his career.

Playing a huge part during Jose Mourinho’s time at Manchester United and also in Marcus Rashford’s initial development into one of the club’s most dangerous players, Jesse Lingard had a significant impact on the club’s history, regardless of how he’s perceived by fans.

Scoring in three finals and winning four trophies while at the club, he is certainly one of the more successful players the club has had over the last decade.

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Ahead of the fixture, Lingard revealed that he felt United did not give him the send-off he deserved, claiming that his final season was full of “false promises”.

However, when the player was substituted with a hamstring injury in the second half, he had to walk round the pitch and stadium past the Stretford End, where the Old Trafford faithful stood to give him a warm and appreciative round of applause.

Rashford, who is well known as one of Lingard’s closest friends in football, explained just how much this gesture meant to Lingard.

“Yeah, massively (it meant a lot to Lingard), I remember when he was leaving, he was a little bit disappointed he didn’t get to play at Old Trafford to say goodbye to the fans, but he’s now managed to do that in some sense,” he told MUTV after the 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

“I’m happy for him, he’s playing football and enjoying it,” Rashford continued.

“I hope so (2023 is a better year), we’re going to work hard to show our fans we can do more and I’m 100 per cent sure we’re capable of pushing on and recreating performances like this and better.”