Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has been continuing his career across the world in South Korea.
It is strange to think that two seasons ago Jesse Lingard was still a Manchester United player, sharing a squad with Cristiano Ronaldo.
His final season at the club did not go to plan, after a successful loan at West Ham which many expected would lead to his exit.
By time Lingard left the club in 2022, there was not the rush he hoped there might be for his signature. He took a one year deal with Nottingham Forest.
After his year at the City Ground, there was an even weaker demand for his services, and Lingard made the surprise move to sign in the K-League, joining FC Seoul in South Korea.
Jesse Lingard spell at FC Seoul on the up
Jesse Lingard spent several months without a club and only made his debut for FC Seoul in March. It wasn’t great, he played 13 minutes as a substitute and picked up a booking.
As you might expect for a 31-year-old who had sat out for several months, it was tricky for Lingard to hit the ground running.
South Korean national teams are known for their intensity, and the K-League is a demanding one, with Lingard receiving some pointed criticism from his manager at the end of his first month in charge.
Kim Di-Gong was quoted in The Mail: “I’ve been thinking a lot about removing Jesse (Lingard). I don’t think a player who doesn’t run for a few minutes is a football player.
“If he doesn’t fight, and doesn’t run better than the player who runs for 90 minutes? If you’re going to play soccer in the name, shouldn’t you just take the retired players?”
That was now almost a full three months back, and Lingard has been hard at work trying to change perceptions and prove his importance to the team.
The first problem was dealing with a knee injury which kept him out of action for a few weeks, before he made his comeback in mid-May.
He received a significant vote of confidence in FC Seoul’s last match, in which he was named captain.
Lingard wrote on Instagram: “Proud moment for me to captain @fcseoul, it’s amazing to work with this group day in day out.
“We have to keep this consistency for the rest of the season showing the same desire and mentality we showed in this game 🙌🏾 our fans quality as usual thank you for the support.”
Jesse Lingard will want to take next step
Jesse Lingard has now played eight matches for FC Seoul, featuring for 90 minutes in three of the last four games.
The former Manchester United forward has yet to score or assist, and this is the next step he will want to take.
His team rank ninth in the league out of 12 teams, with the top six gaining entry into the Championship Round of the season. The bottom six enter the Relegation Round.
FC Seoul are just four points off sixth place, so there is all to play for. If Lingard can build on his new responsibility as captain, and start scoring goals to fire his team up the table, it would cap an impressive turnaround.