When the England squad moved into their hotel at the start of the World Cup, each player was allowed to select some personal photos to be framed and put up in the rooms. And so sitting on the little ledge above Jesse Lingard’s desk in Repino is a picture of himself as a small boy, aged maybe seven or eight, wearing his red Manchester United kit, a ball at his feet: a reminder of the shy, starry-eyed kid from Warrington who first fell in love with the game, a kid who couldn’t possibly know that this was just the start of a long and wonderful journey.

Late on in England’s 6-1 win over Panama , as Gareth Southgate’s side languorously closed out a game they had spectacularly ransacked in the space of 45 first-half minutes, the television cameras picked out Lingard, now sitting on the bench, having got his goal and come off for Fabian Delph.

Spotting a rolled-up ball of socks on the ground next to him, Lingard picked it up and started juggling it, still seated. It was, as the commentators say, a lovely moment: a window into the world of a guy who plays football like it’s a toy he’s just opened on Christmas morning.

England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 England vs Panama World Cup player ratings England vs Panama World Cup player ratings <b>England:</b> Jordan Pickford 7 Had very little to do, and was an observer of England’s scoring antics alongside the rest of us Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Kyle Walker 7 Slightly unsure playing out from the back at times, but put in a good last-ditch tackle to deny Perez from close range Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings John Stones 8 Showed his aerial ability to get two goals, and one of the better England defenders in possession Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Harry Maguire 7 Good going forward, but could be shaky in possession against better opposition Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Kieran Trippier 7 Great movement combining with Loftus-Cheek, and a couple of great deliveries from set pieces Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7 Combined well with Trippier and had a confident start on his full debut. Downside that he picked up a yellow card in the first half Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Jordan Henderson 8 A leader without the armband, Henderson looked confident and assured in possession Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Ashley Young 7 Had little to do defensively but looked good going forward. Will face much tougher tests facing his own goal. Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Jesse Lingard 9 England’s best player in the first half, fouled for the penalty, and scored a brilliant goal. Growing into his own talent. Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Raheem Sterling 7 Average once again, unlucky not to score from the well-worked free kick routine for goal number four for England. Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Harry Kane 8 Kept his calm from the penalty spot and led England from the front. Could be huge going forward against tougher opposition Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings <b>Panaman:</b> Jaime Penedo 6 Tried to put off Harry Kane for both penalties and failed. Could do little about the rest of the goals and spent most of the game picking the ball out of his net. Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Michael Murillo 5 One of many to earn himself a yellow card after a poor foul on Raheem Sterling, and not at all comfortable in possession Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Roman Torres 5 The captain led with the unsporting antics from the front. Looked out of his depth as did the rest of his defence. Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Fidel Escobar 5 At fault for the foul that resulted in a penalty, and looked unable to cope with Harry Kane and co Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Eric Davis 5 One of many to have a lack of discipline and a very short fuse, poor. Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Gabriel Gomez 5 An experienced figure that struggled with the pace of the game, and the English attacking talent Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Edgar Barcenas 6 One of the better players for Panama but was taken off just as the game began to open up Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Armando Cooper 5 Another to have poor discipline and earned himself a booking, lacked quality as did many others Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Anibal Godoy 6 Had an early chance which he blasted wide, but did get into decent positions and could pose a threat for Tunisia Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Jose Luis Rodriguez 6 Offered some flashes of talent going forward, but struggled with his final ball Getty England vs Panama World Cup player ratings Blas Perez 6 Had little to feed off going forward, could have had a tap in if it wasn’t for Kyle Walker’s intervention Getty

As strange as it may seem these days, for a player so seemingly enamoured with the camera, there was a time not so long ago when Lingard used to dread big games. His coaches at United remember an FA Youth Cup semi-final against Chelsea in 2011 where he was so overcome with nerves he began shaking. At one point he was sick on the pitch. And even when he broke into the professional ranks, enjoying a sparkling pre-season tour under David Moyes in the summer of 2013, that paralysing doubt was still there, at the back of his head, telling him he wasn’t good enough.

“I thought in my head it was still too early for me,” he would later recall. “I remember when we got back from tour. I was nervous. My passes were short. So I knew, even then, that I couldn’t handle it.”

Where did that crippling doubt come from? And how did Lingard manage to conquer it to the point where he can put away the winning goal in an FA Cup final, or a score a 20-yard curler for England at a World Cup and then gallop to the corner flag doing the Shoot Dance? The answer, you suspect, tells us a little about Lingard, a little about United, and a little about this England side, and where it may be headed.

For one thing, Lingard isn’t as young as people think. He’s 26 this year. In terms of this England squad, he’s dead centre, the fulcrum: the 12th oldest, the 12th youngest. But even from an early age, he was identified as a late developer. Sir Alex Ferguson once compared him to Jean Tigana, another midfielder with exceptional game intelligence, impeccable timing, tenacity and energy, who only really began to leave his imprint on the game at an age when those qualities were able to outweigh his physical slightness.

Lingard celebrates after a stunning goal against Panama (AP)

Tigana played a less attacking role in the France side of the 1980s than Lingard does for England, but otherwise the parallels are apt. There were bigger stars in that team, but Tigana was one of those players who coaches adore: a guy who greased the wheels, made the team tick, who slipped into the system rather than forcing the system to work around him. He was as comfortable tracking back to shield the defence as he was bursting into the channels with a surprising burst of speed. And like Lingard, he was small in a game, and an area of the pitch, where it was not always an advantage.

It was Lingard’s size, above all, that fed those nagging doubts.

“He was light,” Bryan Robson later remembered, “and he didn’t show enough to make me believe he could be anything more than a squad player.” And had he emerged a decade or two earlier, it’s likely that little Jesse - a player who his former United coach Rene Meulensteen believes could be England’s closest equivalent to Andres Iniesta - would have slipped through the cracks. It was his good fortune, and England’s, that he found an environment, and coaches, that recognised his virtues and allowed him to thrive.

England vs Panama: Story of the game Show all 55 1 /55 England vs Panama: Story of the game England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane celebrates with team mates after scoring England's second AP England vs Panama: Story of the game Jesse Lingard goes up for the ball in between two Panama players AP England vs Panama: Story of the game Jesse Lingard receives treatment REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game England fans EPA England vs Panama: Story of the game Gareth Southgate argues with the linesman Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Raheem Sterling, Harry Maguire and Harry Kane try to find space in the box Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game John Stones heads in England's opening goal Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game England's John Stones, right, scores his side's opening goal during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) Alastair Grant AP England vs Panama: Story of the game England fans take a selfie AP England vs Panama: Story of the game England's John Stones scores his side's opening goal during the group G match between England and Panama at the 2018 soccer World Cup at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod , Russia, Sunday, June 24, 2018. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Antonio Calanni AP England vs Panama: Story of the game England players congratulate John Stones after he scored Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game England's players celebrate a goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group G football match between England and Panama at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Nizhny Novgorod on June 24, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Johannes EISELE / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - NO MOBILE PUSH ALERTS/DOWNLOADSJOHANNES EISELE/AFP/Getty Images JOHANNES EISELE AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane is tackled to the floor by Michael Murillo AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Referee Ghead Grisha shows the yellow card to Panama's Armando Cooper EPA England vs Panama: Story of the game Jordan Pickford attempts a save AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Jesse Lingard is fouled by Fidel Escobar inside the penalty area resulting in England being awarded a penalty Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane takes England's penalty REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane scores England's second goal from the penalty spot REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane races off to celebrate his goal followed by his teammates REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Soccer Football - World Cup - Group G - England vs Panama - Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia - June 24, 2018 England's Harry Kane celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Carlos Barria CARLOS BARRIA REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Ruben Loftus-Cheek fouls Anibal Godoy and receives a yellow card EPA England vs Panama: Story of the game Jesse Lingard scores England's third goal Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Soccer Football - World Cup - Group G - England vs Panama - Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia - June 24, 2018 England's Jesse Lingard scores their third goal REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado IVAN ALVARADO REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Jesse Lingard celebrates scoring his goal with Raheem Sterling AP England vs Panama: Story of the game England players celebrate their third goal AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Ashley Young steps in between Harry Maguire and Roman Torres Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Referee Ghead Grisha talks with Panama's Michael Murillo and Roman Torres Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Kieran Trippier and Jose Luis Rodriguez EPA England vs Panama: Story of the game John Stones heads in England's fourth goal EPA England vs Panama: Story of the game NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 24: John Stones of England scores his team's fourth goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between England and Panama at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 24, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images) Jan Kruger Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game England players celebrate with John Stones after he scored his second goal of the match and England's fourth Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Panama's goalkeeper Jaime Penedo reacts after England's fourth goal AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Anibal Godoy fouls Harry Kane for a penalty REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane scores his second goal and England's fifth REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane celebrates his goal with teammates EPA England vs Panama: Story of the game England's fans celebrate AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Panama's coach Hernan Dario Gomez reacts AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Raheem Sterling is tackled by Jaime Penedo Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Ruben Loftus-Cheek shoots at goal before it is deflected in off Harry Kane to score England's sixth and to complete his hat-trick REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane watches the ball go into the net Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game England players congratulate Harry Kane on scoring his third and England's sixth Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane is congratulated by Gareth Southgate as he is substituted off Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Michael Amir Murillo misses a chance to score REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Felipe Baloy scores Panama's first goal Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Panama fans celebrate their sides first ever World Cup goal Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game Felipe Baloy celebrates as England players look on EPA England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Maguire complains to the referee AP England vs Panama: Story of the game Jordan Henderson and Alberto Quintero challenge for the ball AP England vs Panama: Story of the game Roman Torres reacts as Jordan Henderson shoots AFP/Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game NIZHNY NOVGOROD, RUSSIA - JUNE 24: The big screen inside the stadium displays the final score after the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between England and Panama at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on June 24, 2018 in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Alex Morton/Getty Images) Alex Morton Getty Images England vs Panama: Story of the game John Stones celebrates after the final whistle AP England vs Panama: Story of the game Panama players gather on the pitch at the end of the match AP England vs Panama: Story of the game Harry Kane clutches the match ball after scoring a hat trick Rex England vs Panama: Story of the game England fans celebrate their side's victory REUTERS England vs Panama: Story of the game Gareth Southgate celebrates England's win Getty Images

Firstly there was Ferguson, who recognised early on that Lingard needed time to develop. Lingard was not the star of his generation at United: Paul Pogba and Ravel Morrison were, two richly gifted midfielders who have enjoyed wildly divergent career trajectories ever since. Then there was Louis van Gaal, whose commitment to developing United’s academy talent remains one of his underrated legacies, and who hauled Lingard off his loan carousel and gave him his first proper run in the United side.

And most recently there has been the influence of Jose Mourinho, who may not get the same credit for developing young English talent as his light-blue counterpart across the city, but who in many ways has provided Lingard with the final flourish his game needed: a hardness, a durability, an enhanced awareness of his defensive responsibilities, of how his own skills fit into the side as a whole. “My overall awareness on the pitch,” he said at the start of last season when asked how Mourinho had developed his game. “Knowing where you are on the pitch. Doing things in the right areas, that’s very key.” Even so, his goal output has never been greater: 13 this season in all competitions, more than doubling his career tally at United.

Mourinho, for his part, has been beguiled by Lingard’s work ethic, his unstinting attitude to training, his infectious sense of fun. “He is the funny one that doesn’t disturb the class,” he said recently. “He is the funny one that the teacher isn’t upset with.”

Southgate, too, has discovered this. Lingard’s prat-falling, silly celebrations and social media shenanigans may cause a certain amount of harrumphing in all the right places, but in many ways he embodies England’s basic sense of fun, its impish impudence, its love of the ball and its love of the game. It was somehow fitting that he scored England’s most joyously free-flowing goal of the tournament, a scampering one-two and buried finish from distance, a product of vision, acceleration, intelligence, movement and technique. “A generation of kids will remember that goal,” Rio Ferdinand said afterwards.

Harry Kane celebrates with Lingard during the Panama romp (EPA)

There were a few voices suggesting Lingard was under pressure for his place. It wasn’t close to being true. Every manager needs his Lingard, the player who encapsulates what the team is basically about. For Southgate, happily, it appears to be Lingard: a player of versatility and courage, of spirit and soul and only good vibes.

“The togetherness I’ve seen is incredible,” Lingard’s United team-mate Ashley Young says. “Off the pitch, everybody mixes with each other. Everybody wants the ball. Nobody shies away from the ball. We’ve got to keep on doing that, keep showing our confidence, keep playing the way we have. This could be the start of something good.