Paul McGuinness has spent the best part of 45 minutes talking about Manchester United’s man of the moment, Jesse Lingard, when the conversation starts to wind up.

“It seems to have gone unnoticed but he’s a really talented player,” United’s former Under-18 coach says. “I have to check myself sometimes and think ‘Am I biased here?’ but isn’t he the best player on the team at the moment? Someone said Ross Barkley is a snip at £15m to Chelsea. Well Jesse Lingard looks quite good value, doesn’t he?”

It is a peculiarity at a club that takes great pride in its youth system that some products of that academy have faced such a battle for acceptance among elements of the fanbase. Tom Cleverley could relate to some of the criticism Lingard has had down the years but those United supporters who seemed to forget the forward was one of their own have lost their voice of late. Jose Mourinho’s talisman has not been Romelu Lukaku or Paul Pogba but a player who, as of Oct. 21, had still to make a league start this season.

Eight goals in his past 10 games and 11 all told have installed Lingard as United’s top scorer behind Lukaku, and while the Belgium striker and other big names have struggled to live up to their billing in recent weeks, it is a kid from Longford in Warrington who has been on the club’s books since he was seven who has been leading the charge. It could be the same again when Stoke City visit Old Trafford on Monday evening.