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FORMER MANCHESTER UNITED MIDFIELDER JESSE LINGARD IS PLYING HIS TRADE IN SOUTH KOREA CURRENTLY WITH FC SEOUL AFTER A DIFFICULT STINT AT NOTTINGHAM FOREST 12:00, 30 May 2025 Former Manchester

United midfielder Jesse Lingard has claimed he had little say in his next club after leaving Old Trafford in 2022. Lingard spent 22 years at United and during that time worked his way up

from the academy and EFL loan spells to the first-team. However, he began to drop down the pecking order at Old Trafford and was brought in by his former boss David Moyes at West Ham in

January 2021. In his half season at the London Stadium, Lingard impressed with nine goals and five assists in 16 Premier League appearances. Such form ensured he returned to United the

following season but he would be used sparingly again and was released as a result. It was expected the Hammers would sign him in 2022 but the Englishman would surprisingly join Nottingham

Forest instead where he suffered another poor, injury filled season. When his 12-month contract at the City Ground expired in 2023, it was not renewed. Speaking to the BBC, Lingard explained

why he felt he was not listened to when it came to choosing his next club. "The Forest deal, when we were going through that - and I don't want to go into too much detail - but I

wasn't in control of anything at that time," he explained. "I basically didn't have a choice. I knew what I wanted to do, I knew what offer was on the table from West Ham

and what was on offer from Forest - there was a place I'd have preferred to go. "But people have their own say and at the time I didn't really feel like I could voice my

opinion. Now I can see people didn't have my best interests [at heart]. "But obviously West Ham didn't happen. I went to Forest. The Forest thing happened for a reason, for me

to find out certain things." After spending seven months as a free agent, Lingard would make the unusual step to join FC Seoul in South Korea where he is now the club's captain.

He has made 42 appearances in Asia, scoring ten goals in the process. Despite being released by United and enduring a stressful end to his career there, Lingard admitted he is still a fan of

the club. "I had to watch the [Europa League] final," he explained. "My love and support will always be with United." "They will always be one of the biggest clubs

in the world and supporters will support them through thick and thin," Lingard added when asked about the current state of the club. "It might be a long-term project with [Ruben]

Amorim. "He knows what he wants to do. It's tough when you're not in the Champions League to attract players so he was relying on winning the Europa League. "It's

harder to recruit when you're not in the Champions League. It's 100 per cent a factor." --- _Here at The Manchester Evening News, we are dedicated to bringing you the best

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