5 reasons for Manchester United fans to be optimistic in 2018

#3 Increased squad depth

Jesse Lingard is proving to be a real asset to the squad

A constantly improving Lingard has almost been like a new signing for Jose Mourinho.

The United academy graduate scored two brilliant goals to salvage a point after being 2-0 down against Burnley and topped those efforts off with a screamer to seal the deal against Everton.

The 25-year-old has to be considered as a genuine contender for a spot in Mourinho's best XI now, either in one of the wider attacking midfield areas or more centrally as a number 10.

The added competition should be enough to keep Juan Mata sweating and Henrikh Mkhitaryan worrying about how he will manage to get back into Mourinho's plans and that can only mean continued improvement from all.

Mourinho loves to have multiple options in every position on the field and Lingard is beginning to prove himself as an option he can no longer ignore.