Lingard on nerves and repaying United's faith

Jesse Lingard had not started a game for Manchester United before he lined up away to CSKA Moskva six weeks ago. Since then, the 22-year-old has been a regular feature, scoring his first goal at the start of November and then receiving his first England call-up. However, as he tells UEFA.com, his meteoric recent rise was a long time in the making.

UEFA.com: Tell me about your first Champions League game. It's away, you're lining up, the music – just give us a taste of that experience. What's going through your mind?

Jesse Lingard: It's all about getting my first touch, getting used to the crowd and getting used obviously to the team. After that my confidence was steadily growing. To get the draw – it was a big point for us to bring back to Old Trafford and then get the win [on matchday four]. You've just got to black everything out, concentrate on the game.

UEFA.com: Are there nerves?

Lingard: I'm nervous every game I play, even if it's at the park or whatever, I'm still nervous. But you know you've got to get through that because you know there's a game to win.

UEFA.com: What kind of impact did the Champions League have on you as you were growing up?

Lingard: Getting to about 16 or 17, that's when I started following it a bit more. It was the competition that everyone wanted to play in. And for me to be playing in it is unbelievable. It's the different styles of play. You can watch Barcelona, Bayern, Real Madrid – they all have something different, and you can learn from that.

UEFA.com: What about United's last triumph, against Chelsea in Moscow in 2008? Where were you? Were you glued to it?

Lingard: I was in digs just round the corner from here [Carrington]. I stayed up all night to watch it. As soon as it went to penalties, my heart was in my mouth. You know, to see John Terry miss that penalty was a massive relief. Then I think Van der Sar saved Anelka's penalty to win it.

Obviously to win the Champions League back then was a great honour for the club. It's the ultimate trophy you want to win. For Manchester United to win that, it makes them the best team in the world, pretty much. For me to be at the club at a young age, at the best club, was a massive honour.

Jesse Lingard on his full debut in Moscow©AFP/Getty Images

UEFA.com: You started aged seven with Manchester United and, barring loan spells, you've been here ever since. What does Manchester United do to help nurture, grow and teach young players?

Lingard: I was very small as a kid ... and they just gave me that trust. They could have let me go, they could have sent me to another club, but obviously the coaches stuck by me – they knew the ability I had. Coming up to U18s, reserves, that's when I started kicking on a bit more. David Moyes promoted me to the first team, and my confidence just grew from then.

UEFA.com: Since the class of '92, it has not been that common for people from this area to come through. Having been born and brought up down the road in Warrington, what does it mean to you?

Lingard: The fans want to see home-grown players come through. Seeing the likes of Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley coming through, that gave me confidence to say: 'I can do it as well.' With the youth cup team we had, I thought most of us would come into the first team and nail a place down, but it's not always like that. It's good to get one or two through to the first team. As soon as you step on to the pitch, the fans are behind you straight away – even if you make a mistake, they're still there.