Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has explained the reasoning behind his surprise move to FC Seoul.
Since leaving the club in the summer of 2022, Jesse Lingard has had a difficult few months in football with a move to Nottingham Forest not working out for the Englishman.
After an impressive spell at West Ham United, where it seemed the attacking midfielder rediscovered his love for the game, Manchester United prevented the English star from leaving the club but it is not clear why this was the case.
The club lost a decent chunk of money on Lingard as his good form with the Hammers might have netted the club £15-20 million but instead, Lingard left on a free.
Lingard’s next move is a surprise one to Korean side FC Seoul.
Lingard explains decision behind move
Speaking about the move, as per the BBC, the 31-year-old has explained his reasonings behind the move to South Korea, barely 18 months after leaving Old Trafford.
“I’ve always wanted a different challenge and to create new memories in my career,” Lingard said. “I believe South Korea is the perfect place for that.”
When asked what appealed to him about moving to Korea, Lingard admitted that the personal touch helped convince him that this move was right for this stage of his career.
“FC Seoul showed me great passion, sending me a concrete offer on paper while other clubs were contacting me verbally,” he said. “They also came to Manchester to check my physical condition as well.”
As well as this, Lingard is keen on expanding his interests away from football but has insisted that his on-the-pitch performances are the most important.
“I’ll focus on football, my personal business is nothing to do with football. The most important thing to me is football,” he added.
Lingard’s career struggles
Back in 2018, the attacking midfielder was the first choice for the Red Devils as his goalscoring exploits under Jose Mourinho earned him a call-up for the England World Cup squad.
Since then, however, things have not been easy for the Englishman and he has had his struggles off the pitch and the main thing for Lingard is his happiness.
He netted the winning goal in the FA Cup final back in 2016 and he will always be remembered for that stunning goal at Wembley.