Jesse Lingard, 32, has boarded a flight to South Korea.
“Jesse Lingard is heading to South Korea,” Sky Sports reported on the 5th (below).
Earlier, on the 2nd, the BBC’s dedicated Manchester United reporter Simon Stone said, “The former Manchester United and England national team midfielder is seriously considering an offer from FC Seoul.”
“The next stop for Lindegaard is South Korea’s FC Seoul,” Sky Sports reporter Fabrizio Romano reported, “and he is close to signing.”
Lingard, a midfielder born in 1992, joined the United youth team in 2000. He progressed through the ranks and signed a professional contract with the Red Devils in 2011, after which he spent time on loan at Leicester City, Birmingham City, and Brighton & Hove Albion.
It was during the 2015-2016 season that Lingard began to establish himself at United. Louis van Gaal, who was managing United at the time, used the youth product frequently, and he made 40 official appearances (32 starts) that season, scoring six goals and providing four assists.
In the 2016-2017 season, Lingard was also a key player under new manager Jose Mourinho. His prolific work-rate and diligent forward pressing and defensive work-rate kept him in the starting lineup. Although he lacked the technical ability of Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, 토토사이트 his main rivals for the position at the time, he played to his strengths, scoring five goals and providing three assists in 42 official appearances that season.
It was in the 2019-2020 season that Lingard’s position began to falter.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used Lingard as often as any other manager at the time, but the arrival of playmaker Bruno Fernandes in January 2020 saw Lingard’s playing time steadily decline.
Eventually, he left on loan to West Ham United in the 2020-2021 winter transfer window.
It was a stroke of luck. During his short six-month loan spell, Lingard scored nine goals and provided five assists in 16 league appearances in a West Ham shirt. He was virtually the team’s “ace in the hole” and led West Ham to the UEFA Europa League.
A confident Lingard returned to United at the end of his loan, but once again, Mourinho turned him down. He eventually moved to Nottingham Forest in July 2022.
Lindegaard’s downward spiral continued. Despite being the highest paid player in the team, his on-field presence was minimal. Eventually, he was released by Nottingham in June 2023 and became a free agent.
Lingard was reportedly training with Inter Miami in August last year and was later linked with a move to West Ham. The move never materialized. In September, it was announced that he was training with Al Etihad in the Saudi Arabian Professional League, and a move seemed to be in the works.
After being linked with the likes of FC Barcelona and Everton, his next destination is now FC Seoul, as reported by Man Utd transfer market insider Simon Stone.
The news that a player who is still in his prime and was once a regular starter at United is heading to the K League is shocking to many soccer fans, both in Korea and abroad. Apart from the difference in the level of the league, there are many questions about how he resolved the salary issue and why he chose Seoul after rejecting the Saudi League.
In a phone conversation with OSEN on the 2nd, a Seoul official admitted, “We are in contact with Lingard,” and said, “Confidentially, a Seoul official checked Lingard’s condition in Manchester. Lingard has also checked the environment in Seoul. He is expected to arrive shortly.”
It appears that Lingard has indeed boarded a flight to Seoul. 사설 토토사이트 Sky Sports reported that “Lingard is flying out to finalize his move to Seoul. He has verbally agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with Seoul.”
“He posted a picture on social media of himself checking in for the Korean Air flight at London’s Heathrow Airport. He will join FC Seoul in time for the preseason, with the club’s K League schedule kicking off on March 2 against Gwangju.”