In a game which many England players were rather underwhelming in, young Jesse Lingard certainly seemed to be at home. The United wideman was called up by interim boss Gareth Southgate and the new boss backed his man by selecting him to start against Malta. Lingard was arguably the man of the match and came close to scoring on 2 or 3 occasions in the first half and indeed his performance really deserved a goal – a sentiment that was echoed by ITV pundit Ian Wright.

Wayne Rooney had a better game for England than his recent performances for club and country but still was booed late in the second half by a number of home supporters when he fired a shot wide of the target. This treatment seemed harsh however as Rooney delivered a much better performance in every way than in previous matches. Rooney has 14 goals and 2 assists in his last 15 qualifiers and does keep making himself available for selection while others have retired in the face of difficult times so maybe he deserves better treatment than he is receiving. Marcus Rashford came on in the 67th minute for England and had a few good moments. The starlet did not get on the scoresheet but still managed to get supporters out of their seats several times as he beat his man with ease on a number of occasions.

So from a United point of view in a modest 2-0 England win against Malta, Jesse Lingard was certainly the bright spot for his side and showed that he is up to the task of international football and can be relied upon against tougher opposition if selected. Appearing for his country will only go to reinforce Lingard’s confidence which in turn will help Jose Mourinho.