Jesse Lingard is starting to feel like his old self again at Manchester United, with the 26-year-old having enjoyed a welcome return to form over recent weeks.
A testing start to the 2019-20 campaign for an Old Trafford academy graduate saw him slip out of the Red Devils side and senior England squad.
He did, however, return to favour for a Premier League clash with Tottenham, and followed up a 2-1 win in that contest by retaining his place for a derby victory over Manchester City.
Lingard also recorded his first goal since January when skippering a young United side in a Europa League clash with Astana and admits to feeling positive about his game once more.
He told Sky Sports: “I feel good, I feel back to myself, I feel fit, I feel sharp.
Next Match
“I love working for the team, I love winning games and playing matches.”
Pressed further on whether the “Jesse he knows” has returned, Lingard added: “Yes, he's back now, he's back, he is there.
“People go through dips in form, it's just about finding the right balance and getting back to your usual self which I have.
“Of course you're frustrated when you're not playing. You've still got to have the right attitude and right mentality when you do go on and try to make an impact. I felt like I did against Sheffield United and from there I've kicked on.”
Getty Images
Having struggled for consistency throughout much of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign, United have rediscovered their spark as a collective of late.
Back-to-back wins over fellow Premier League heavyweights has them up to fifth in the table and looking to force their way into the Champions League qualification spots.
They also have a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie with Colchester to come, and the start of an FA Cup campaign from January.
Lingard admits the Red Devils are feeling buoyant, but says they will not be getting carried away.
He added: “We can't be too overjoyed, we've still got the rest of the season to play for.
“We take each game as it comes, we concentrate on the next game, we don't want to be thinking about previous wins but obviously you are going to take confidence and happiness from that game.
“For us it's all about working hard, working together and sticking together through the tough times which we have.
“We're going to go through dips here and there but it's about maintaining and keeping that momentum now.”
United’s next outing is set to see them play host to AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League on Thursday, with Solskjaer’s side already safely through to the last 32 of that competition.