Ask Lingard and Gomes
TranscriptJesse Lingard and Angel Gomes have some sound advice for any young footballers wanting to practise in isolation…
How are you training and staying fit? JL: “Yeah, I’ve been doing a lot of exercise outside. Each day I do different things. Some days I’ll go in the gym and do upper body, bit of core work, lower body work. Some days I’ll go outside and do some short running or long endurance work.” AG: “It’s difficult but we’ve been set a programme by the club which everyone’s following. I’ve been doing the gym programmes, the core programmes and doing running.” How do you stay motivated, both mentally and physically? JL: “For me, I’m just looking forward to getting back. To get in the right frame of mind, it means I have to feel good and be ready to go back to training and play matches. I want to be as close to match fit as possible.” AG: “This period has, in a way, been a good period for me really to reflect on a lot of things. I’ve been reading a lot and that’s not something I’d really do, it’s not a hobby of mine. I read a little bit but now I’m really getting into reading books and just studying football really, that’s what I’ve been doing in this time off.” What films or TV shows are you watching? JL: “I completed Money Heist, I don’t know if you’ve seen that? Impossible Guest, for a film, if anyone needs a recommendation. Invisible Man, another great film that’s out at the moment. I tend to keep busy on Netflix as well, I’ve just started the Tiger King as well.” AG: “There’s a new one at the moment that’s just come on, Michael Jordan the Last Dance. I’m watching that, the new episodes come out today so I’ll be catching up on that. I’ve finished Elite, which is a Spanish series which some of the other lads have been watching as well, and I’ve just finished Money Heist as well, so I’m just looking for recommendations at the moment.” If you were going to cook for someone, what would you make? JL: “I’ve been practising my cooking, you know! I’d probably say chicken, mixed with prawns and pasta, with a sweet chilli glaze and then some veg on the side. That’s all I can do at the moment!” AG: “Before quarantine, I probably would have said nothing! But I’ve been in the kitchen quite a bit cooking, so I’d probably say salmon at the moment.” Any advice for young footballers in isolation? JL: “I’d just say keep practising where you can really. If you have a ball in the house, play in the house, if you can get out in the garden, keep practising. I’ve seen a lot of videos of people practising their skills and keeping active, which is great. If they can keep doing it on a day-to-day basis, work on their weaknesses, that’s my advice.” AG: “However big or small your house is, or garden, wherever you live, if you’ve got a football… that was my biggest toy growing up, I didn’t really play with anything else. I’d make do with the surroundings and the area I had around me so make the most out of the time. Practise and set yourself goals. Whether it’s 10 kick-ups, 20 kick-ups, around the world, different skills, just keep practising at that and challenge yourself, I’d say.” Are you having group calls with team-mates? JL: “We’ll catch up on FaceTime and I’ve been speaking to most of the lads anyway, just to catch up and see how they’re doing. It is mainly the WhatsApp group where we keep in contact.” AG: “I speak to Jesse quite a lot. The first few weeks, he’d ring literally every other day to see how I was getting on, to see if I’d been doing any work. I actually spoke to quite a lot of players yesterday, I spoke to Mason, Brandon, Jimmy, Marcus. I’ve been trying to speak to as many as possible to see how they’ve been doing, because it’s been quite boring!” What game would you nominate for our Match Rewind series? JL: “I’d probably have to go with the FA Cup final, I think, against Palace. Just to bring back the memory of winning that first trophy for me, especially and scoring that winner. It’s just the way it played out, we were a man down when Smalling got sent off. It was 1-1 and it looked like the game was against us but we showed that belief and hunger to come back and win so I think that would be a good game to watch actually.” AG: “I’d say probably the one where Nani scored against Liverpool, when Rooney reverse passed it into him, he took it inside and put it into the bottom corner. Just the celebration, the backflip. I remember watching it and being out in my back garden on the trampoline trying to replicate it. I’d go with that one, because that’s one of my favourite moments growing up.” If you had to self-isolate with one teammate who would you choose? JL: “I’d probably say Rash I think. Obviously I’m closest to him. I grew up with him and we’re very close off the pitch so I think it’d be easy to live with Marcus. He could teach me a thing or two, I could teach him a thing or two, so I think it’d be enjoyable.” AG: “I’d probably say Juan Mata, because how he plays is probably how he lives his life. He’s so immaculate, I could imagine him being very tidy, very clean and he’d educate me a lot through being with him. I’d probably say Juan is the most positive person I can think about!”