Who is Jesse Lingard talking about?! Former Man Utd star accuses 'people' or not respecting his 'grind' as free agent continues search for next club

The former England international midfielder has been a free agent since being released by Nottingham Forest at the end of the 2022-23 campaign. The 30-year-old took in just 20 appearances for the Reds last season, scoring two goals, as he struggled for form and fitness.

Lingard has seen various landing spots mooted since then, with time spent working at Inter Miami’s training facility over the summer. He has also taken in a trial spell at West Ham – having previously impressed for them on loan – and was taken to Saudi Arabia by Steven Gerrard in a bid to impress at Al-Ettifaq.

Lingard has been unable to secure a contract anywhere and appears to have aimed a dig at those wanting something from him during a testing period in his career, while offering nothing in return. He has posted on Instagram: “Funny how people don’t respect your grind and ask for favours”. He went on to add that he intends to: “Go ghost and do what you gotta do.”

Instagram

It is unclear who Lingard is talking about, but his frustration is understandable. As a man who made over 230 appearances for United, while having 32 senior international caps to his name, he would not have expected to still be watching on from afar as the 2023-24 campaign heads towards the busy festive period.