'I was crying on the way home' - Jesse Lingard opens up on 'emotional' Man Utd exit as FC Seoul star admits he was 'stifled' at Old Trafford 'sitting on the bench for money'

The England international is a product of the Red Devils’ fabled academy system. He took in 232 appearances for the Premier League heavyweights, scoring 35 goals, but opted to walk away as a free agent in the summer of 2022.

Lingard made no top-flight appearances for United in 2020-21, leading to him enjoying a productive loan spell at West Ham, and his situation barely improved after being welcomed back into the Old Trafford fold by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Lingard has told The Independent of why he severed ties with his boyhood club: “Being in the same environment for a long time… it kind of stifles you. In football, you’ve always got ups and downs. You’ve got to be mentally strong. And, you know, sometimes at United, I wasn’t. Things happen off the pitch that you can’t really control… it affects you on the pitch.

“I spoke to Ole and a couple of staff members and they understood, because they’re human as well. It comes to a certain point where, when you’re not playing regularly, you’re not just going to sit there for the money.”

Lingard added on the realisation that he was no longer a Manchester United player: “I was really dialled in and locked in at that time. The way I played, when you come back to your home club, you’re expecting to play. Obviously, that didn’t happen. You get frustrated.

“My application in training each day was always 100 per cent, you know… But, you come to a certain time where you need to leave. The last day, I was crying on the way home… to leave was obviously emotional but it was what I needed to do.”

Nottingham Forest snapped Lingard up as a free agent, but he endured just one injury-hampered season at the City Ground. After spending several months without a club, the 32-year-old playmaker stepped out of his comfort zone when heading to South Korea and signing for FC Seoul.