Solskjaer's telling response to Jesse Lingard's Champions League gaffe

As Jesse Lingard trudged off the pitch at the Stadion Wankdorf he would have been well within his rights to have doubts about his Manchester United future.

Already a squad player in a group full of talented players in his position, his late mistake against Young Boys only put his place under the spotlight further.

Given the simple task of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo, Lingard struggled to ever get up to the pace of the game as the hosts carried out wave after wave of attacks.

But with seconds winding down, his cameo went from a disappointment to a nightmare when his errant backpass could only find Jordan Pefok who made no mistake to win the game for the Swiss outfit.

Jesse Lingard was visibly upset after the late error ( Image:

Rex)

Lingard cut a disconsolate figure as wild celebrations erupted all around him. Captain Harry Maguire covered his face in dejection when Pefok scored, but was quick to escort his teammate off the field with an arm around his shoulder.

After spending last season out on loan with West Ham, Lingard will be fully aware that this is a make or break season at his boyhood club. And his emotional reaction said it all.

"Last night hurt. Everytime I pull on the shirt, I hope people understand what it means to me," he posted on social media. I always go out wanting to do the best for the club, the team and the fans.

"I'm upset for my part in the defeat. Mistakes happen in football but we pick ourselves up and go again."

However, with his contract expiring at the end of the season there is a question of how many chances he will have to "go again".

But if those concerns were rattling around his head, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer moved as quickly as he could to ease them.

"He's got this season left of his contract and the club is talking to him and his dad, and we see him as a Man United player in the future as well," the United boss revealed straight after the full-time whistle.

Rather than single out his player, as a certain Portuguese predecessor of Solskjaer may have done, he went out of his way to state how important Lingard remains to the Red Devils.

Manchester United' manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looked frustrated on the sideline, but backed his player straight after

He continued: "Jesse has come back to us after a great spell at West Ham. He showed his qualities, he's got back into the England squad and he's scoring goals for England.

"We really want to see the best of Jesse this season and we hope to see him. We support him, and we hope to keep him here with us. He's a Red through and through."

United take on West Ham this weekend and there will surely be mixed feelings for Lingard, who for much of the summer looked set to make his move to east London permanent.

But if Solskjaer's public declaration is anything to go by, Old Trafford promises to be a welcoming home beyond next summer.