Ryan Giggs criticises Jesse Lingard with Mesut Ozil Arsenal comparison

January 2, 2020
Posted by Steven Tan | Source from Manchester Evening News
Ryan Giggs has suggested Jesse Lingard lacks the 'football intelligence' required to play as a No.10 for Manchester United.
 
The England international started for United on New Year's Day as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side fell to a dismal 2-0 defeat by Arsenal.
 
United's dire midfield display contributed to their downfall at the Emirates as Lingard prolonged his unwanted league run of having failed to score a goal or provide an assist in the Premier League since 2018.
 
In contrast, Mesut Ozil stole the show for Arsenal with an impressive display that saw him dictate the tempo of the game.
 
Speaking after the game Giggs praised Ozil for his performance and compared it with the poor display from Lingard in the United midfield.
 
"He’s an intelligent player and you see the difference between the two No.10s," Giggs told the Premier League.
 
"Ozil, even though he has big running stats, when Arsenal had the ball he was actually holding his position. He wasn’t running towards the ball. So he was probably doing most of his running in a defensive aspect.
 
"Whereas Jesse, when United were on the ball, just kept coming towards the ball and closing the space. Whereas Ozil was patient. And that comes from the coach and looking at the last couple of games, because you have got a talented and intelligent individual."
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