Jesse Lingard: Manchester United winger called up to England squad after just 193 minutes of Premier League football

Lingard has been named United's man of the match in each of the last two games

(Getty Images)

Uncapped Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard has been called up to the England squad for Tuesday night's friendly against France following the withdrawal of Michael Carrick and Jamie Vardy through injury.

Carrick has returned to Manchester United after suffering an ankle injury during England's 2-0 defeat to Spain while Vardy has gone back to Leicester.

The Premier League top scorer missed the defeat in Alicante because of what England manager Roy Hodgson described as a hip injury and will also miss the friendly against the French at Wembley.

With such a depleted squad, Hodgson decided he needed to call up a replacement for the duo and he has opted for 22-year-old Lingard.

The Warrington-born player has made 11 appearances for the England Under-21s, but this is the first time he has been called up to the senior squad.

The United academy graduate has earned the man of the match award on his last two appearances for Louis van Gaal's team against CSKA Moscow and West Brom.

But there is no hiding his inexperience.

The United midfielder has played just 193 minutes of Premier League football for the club he joined aged seven.

He has played eight games in total for United and was loaned to Championship club Derby last season after suffering a serious knee injury in Van Gaal's first game in charge - a home defeat to Swansea.

Van Gaal said recently that the midfielder was not yet ready to represent his country.

"I would say it is too much too early," the United manager said.


 Louis van Gaal has previously said it is too soon for Lingard to play international football
 (Getty Images)

"We have to wait to see if he is consistent because he is more or less the same age as Memphis Depay."

But with a long list of players unavailable through injury, Hodgson has had to turn to inexperienced players like Lingard, and Dele Alli and Eric Dier, who are also in the squad.

Lingard will join up with the squad at their Watford base on Sunday as they prepare for the friendly against France at Wembley, which will go ahead despite Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris.

PA