Explained: Why ‘famous retired player’ jibe wasn’t a dig at Jesse Lingard as ex-Man Utd star is told he can be a ‘success’ in K-League despite undergoing surgery on knee injury

Former Manchester United and England star Lingard has struggled to make the desired impact since completing a shock switch to South Korea. He has failed to register a goal or assist through six appearances and is back on the sidelines at present after undergoing surgery on a knee injury.

Seoul boss Kim Ki-dong said after one underwhelming performance from Lingard: “He only played a few minutes, and yet he didn't work hard and avoided tussle. Fame doesn't win football games. If it did, I would have brought in a famous retired player.”

That was considered to be a dig at Lingard’s attitude and application, but journalist Lee Sung-mo has told BBC Sport: “It happens quite often when you translate English to Korean or Korean to English without context. In Korean culture, Kim's comments were closer to motivation for Lingard as he wanted him to show more passion on the pitch because he had belief in the player. But when you just translate it in English without context, it could be understood as aggressive criticism. It's very unlikely Kim intended that way.”

Despite playing just 105 minutes so far, Lingard has the support of Seoul supporters and Lee added on the impact that he can make in a new division and culture: “Lingard has been a bit unlucky so far and he's clearly showing his commitment for his new club even when he cannot play for them. We need to wait to see until he fully recovers from injuries. There's still a chance that he could be a success in the K-League.”

Lingard signed a two-year contract when joining FC Seoul. He had been without a club for several months prior to that, with the 31-year-old midfielder having to work on a personal fitness programme following his release by Nottingham Forest in the summer of 2023.