Jesse Lingard has not enjoyed the greatest of periods in his footballing career. The Manchester United midfielder has been in wretched form for well over 12 months, with his goal against AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League late last year being his first since January 2019.

But on Sunday afternoon against Tranmere in the fourth round of the FA Cup, the England international delivered a major reminder about what he can potentially offer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. Whilst the nature of the opposition - the home side are currently 21st in League One - should temper any exaggerated conclusions, Lingard no doubt delivered his finest performance of the season.

In what was an exceptional team display from the Red Devils - they ran out 6-0 winners - Lingard arguably offered the most encouragement. Playing in the number ten role behind Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood in a 3-4-1-2 formation, the 27-year-old brought energy and cutting edge.

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As per Sofascore, he had six total efforts on goal, with one of them finding the back of the net and another coming off the woodwork. But whilst he was a threat to the Tranmere goalkeeper himself, he also played an important role in helping to get the best out of his teammates too. He had an incredible 101 touches of the ball (only behind Luke Shaw who had 104), provided three key passes, and accurately completed two out of his three attempted long balls.

And Lingard also bought into the need to do some work off the ball, making a team-high three tackles. It was an all-action display that showed he can be effective in all aspects of the game. Amidst all this transfer talk surrounding a potential swoop for Bruno Fernandes, the United midfielder showed he still has plenty left to offer.

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Whilst the naysayers will point to this performance coming against a League One side, you can't take away from the fact this will do Lingard the world of good in terms of his confidence. He has come under intense criticism from sections of the United support for his displays this season, whilst he has also been told to cut down on his use of social media by Solskjaer.

If he can harness the confidence he will have got from Sunday, then he could still prove to be a major impact player on the pitch for the Red Devils.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans have slammed one of their former players for his comments.