The sight of former youth team contemporary Jesse Lingard will undoubtedly have made Paul Pogba’s return to Manchester United a little easier.
The pair were teammates in United’s ‘Class of ’11’ – the team that beat Sheffield United 6-3 on aggregate to win the 2011 FA Youth Cup final.
The only other remaining member of that team, Sam Johnstone, has been out on loan for much of his United career, meaning Lingard has been the sole familiar face from those days.
But Pogba might not be too pleased to learn that the England winger doesn’t consider the Frenchman the best player in that victorious group.
That honour goes to Ravel Morrison, now back in England after rejoining Queen’s Park Rangers on loan from Lazio.
Morrison managed just three senior appearances for United – none in the league – before departing for West Ham United in January 2012.
But Lingard, in a wide-ranging interview with the Sunday Times, maintains that his compatriot “was the player who stood out”.
“It’s good he’s at QPR now,” said Lingard, who still keeps in touch with his former academy teammate.
“He’s such a talent and he can’t just throw it away. He knows he has to work hard and he’ll get his rewards.”
Still just 24-years-old, Morrison scored six goals in 15 games in his previous QPR spell.
He has three Premier League goals to his name – all scored for West Ham in the 2013/14 season – and will be keen to return to the top flight after failing to make an impact during 18 months in Serie A.
