Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has shared his two cents on Jesse Lingard after the former Manchester United star signed for K League 1 side FC Seoul.
Jesse Lingard’s future in football had been shrouded in mystery ahead of his transfer to FC Seoul after he was released by Nottingham Forest last summer.
The 31-year-old ex-Manchester United player had been linked with a return to West Ham after he became a free agent at the end of the previous campaign.
Lingard, who had a sensational six-month loan spell at West Ham, had been training with the Hammers last September as he stayed on top of his fitness.
However, a reunion with former United manager David Moyes at West Ham never materialised for Lingard and the ex-Forest player was left without a club.
Lingard had spent time with Steven Gerrard’s Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq and had even flown out to Dubai for solo training in his pursuit of a new club.
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Souness talks ex-Man Utd star Lingard
Jesse Lingard, who reportedly offered himself to Barcelona last month, finally ended his exodus from football and completed his move to South Korean side FC Seoul.
The ex-Manchester United star’s latest transfer raised eyebrows among many people in the footballing world, including Liverpool legend Graeme Souness.
Former Sky Sports pundit Souness believes that Lingard must be sitting in a hotel room questioning how he managed to end up at FC Seoul after his time at Old Trafford.
Souness added that the former England international showed a lot of “promise” at United early on, but he now claims that Lingard’s “days at the top are now over.”
Speaking in his column for The Daily Mail, he wrote: “Jesse Lingard will find himself sitting in his hotel room in South Korea and wonder, ‘What am I doing here?’
“He signed [for] FC Seoul this week and that tells you he didn’t have any major offers in England or Europe.
“He will now be playing in a part of the world where players are desperate to come and play in our league. Lingard has gone in the opposite direction – what does that say about him?
“He was someone who showed great promise in his early days at Manchester United but got sidetracked by listening to the wrong people and his career has stalled.
“He took his eye off the ball and lost focus. He was at one of the greatest football clubs in the world and it doesn’t get any better than that for a young man.”
“Lingard is still only 31 but it looks like his days at the top are now over. He will have plenty of time to consider that thought in the coming months.”
Lingard on his transfer to FC Seoul
United legend Paul Scholes was among those who poked fun at Lingard when the former Three Lions star was training as a free agent after his exit from Forest.
The former United midfielder wasn’t afraid to troll Lingard in an endearing kind of way, with the ex-West Ham player seeing the funny side of Scholes’ comments.
Lingard claimed that he received “many offers” when he was a free agent, but the ex-United man believes that South Korea is now the “perfect place” for him.
“I’ve always wanted a different challenge and to create new memories in my career,” he said in a YouTube video.
“I believe South Korea is the perfect place for that.”