'I made such a bond' - Jesse Lingard reflects on FC Seoul journey and says he is 'open' to new opportunities ahead of January transfer window

In a post on Instagram earlier in December, Lingard announced he and K League club FC Seoul had “mutually agreed” to terminate his contract, with his final appearance coming against A-League outfit Melbourne City in the AFC Champions League.

"My time in South Korea has been unbelievable - the football, the atmosphere and the passion around this club have been top class,” Lingard wrote on social media. “The love, support and the appreciation you have shown towards me for these last two years has been truly amazing. I'll always be grateful for the opportunity to play for such a massive club.”

Lingard joined FC Seoul on a free transfer in February 2024, scoring 18 goals across 67 appearances for Kim Gi-dong’s side. He found the back of the net on his final appearance against Melbourne, with the match ending in a 1-1 draw at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Before moving to FC Seoul, the 33-year-old was released by Nottingham Forest following the conclusion of the 2022-23 Premier League season. He made 20 appearances in all competitions for the City Ground club, scoring two goals in the Carabao Cup.

And in a new interview with The Guardian, Lingard has revealed he is now back in England, spending time with his family as he awaits news of any interest in his services ahead of the January transfer window opening on New Year's Day.

Describing himself as “open” to any interest that may come his way, the ex-West Ham United ace said opportunities could come from anywhere including: “Europe, Saudi, UAE…”

Lingard earned 32 caps for the England senior side, scoring six goals. He also helped the Three Lions reach the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, making six appearances in the tournament.

Reflecting on his move to FC Seoul, Lingard admits the club were not exactly on his radar at the time. However, once he considered their offer, he realised it represented a chance for him to escape the “noise” in Manchester.

Making his first-team debut in 2014 after emerging through the club’s youth academy, Lingard made 232 appearances for the United, winning four major honours including the 2016 FA Cup - a match he scored the winning goal in. In total, he found the back of the net on 35 occasions for the Red Devils.

“I was shocked at first because I didn’t know anything about Seoul,” Lingard continued. “But when I started to think about it, I thought it could be a chance to reset, to get away from the noise in Manchester. There’s a lot of distractions [in Manchester]. You can get roped into going out and stuff like that. I just wanted to get away and really knuckle down on the football part.”

While he never complained, Lingard was surprised by the facilities which greeted him upon his move to FC Seoul. The six-time K League 1 champions do not have a canteen at their training ground, meaning players have to go out for their own lunch. There is also a lack of under-soil heating at both the training ground and the club’s Seoul World Cup Stadium, while there are no seats in the dressing room.

“If it’s snowing or icy, you can’t train,” Lingard said. “You just have to do gym or run on the Astroturf. We had to do that in the last few weeks of the season because of the cold. We also had a game at the stadium last year where it was freezing and the whole of the left side of the pitch was like ice. We had to play most of the football on the right-hand side.”

And lifting the lid on how he was able to communicate with team-mates and club staff, Lingard - who describes his Korean as “good” - added: “Most of the players could speak good English. The manager, Kim Gi-dong, spoke to me through a translator, although in the second year he got a few English words. 

“But d’you know what? My Korean was good. I learned off a young player called Ham Sun-woo. When I joined up for my first pre-season, he’d come to my room. He couldn’t speak English but he was there, trying my hats on, looking at my watch. He had a good energy, a good vibe about him and we just clicked.

“At first, we’d speak through the translator but he’d pick up little words that I would say and I’d pick up his words in Korean. That’s how I learned – just through him. And he learned English through me. Eventually we’d be able to go for dinner by ourselves because we could communicate with each other.

“I’ve got a few stories from dinners out and I remember one from when I first got there and I went to eat with a couple of the young players. Their culture is that they always wait for the oldest person at the table to start eating first. So, my food didn’t come and theirs was there and they’re not eating. I was telling them: ‘Eat. Mine is coming.’ And they were like: ‘No, we can’t.’ I could literally leave my food, not touch it and they wouldn’t be able to touch theirs. That was a shock to me.”

While it remains to be seen where Lingard will continue his playing career, his boyhood club United are back in action when they travel to in-form Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday. 

In what is shaping up to be a mouth-watering affair, Ruben Amorim’s side head to Villa Park in fine form, having lost just one of their last 10 matches. Meanwhile, Unai Emery’s Villa have won their last six league games in a row.

“I cried when I left United,” Lingard added. “And I made such a bond over these last two years with the players and fans [in Seoul] that it was always going to be emotional again. I think I’ve left a strong legacy.”