England under-21 midfielder Jesse Lingard is ready to challenge for a starting place at Manchester United next season.
Lingard, 22, started United's first game of last season against Swansea and looked to have finally broken through in the side however an Ashley Williams tackle saw Lingard sidelined for six months. After the midfielder recovered, he was sent on loan to Sky Bet Championship club Derby County as he looked to build his fitness and get some games under his belt.
Playing for England in the U21 European Championships will only help his case for playing at United next season, especially after scoring a stunning winner against Sweden.
"I'm looking to stay at Man United and get some games under my belt there," Lingard said. "I'll see what the boss says when I get back. I've always wanted to play for Man United and that's still my ambition. I was unlucky to get injured at the start of last season and I'll never know where I would be know if I hadn't got that injury.
Scoring goals like this can only help. It gets your profile up and other teams see you as well as Man United. It can only be good for me. I kept in contact with Louis van Gaal last season and spoke to the Under-21 manager a lot. He was guiding me and giving me confidence."
After impressing off the bench for England against Sweden, it came to a shock to many that Lingard didn't start the match as he was one of England's bright sparks in their opening defeat against Portugal.
However, the 22-year-old could still be an instrumental part of the side as Tottenham winger Alex Pritchard has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament.
"You're always disappointed not to start for your country, but that's the gaffer's decision," Lingard said.
"I knew I had to make an impact as soon as I came on the pitch and luckily I did. Getting the win is massive for us, and says a lot about our team spirit. It's up to the gaffer who starts. He knows what he's doing and we respect his opinion, but obviously I'm hoping to start."