Lingard on Man Utd, Forest regrets and playing in South Korea

Jesse Lingard joined FC Seoul in South Korea last year Jesse Lingard is 5,500 miles from home - but some things never change. Speaking to BBC Sport, the former England international reflects on the trials and tribulations that have led him to play for Seoul FC in South Korea's bustling capital city. Manchester United, though, are never too far from his mind. When they faced Tottenham in the Europa League final last week, he was tuned in. "I watched it. It was on 4am my time - so I went to bed at 9pm and set my alarm," says Lingard. "I had to watch the final. My love and support will always be with United. I still watch their games or catch highlights." On reflection, Lingard may feel it wasn't worth the hassle. His boyhood club lost 1-0, in a game panned as one of the worst European finals in recent history. But despite his new life in eastern Asia, the 32-year-old's affection for United hasn't waned. "They will always be one of the biggest clubs in the world and supporters will support them through thick and thin," he says. "It might be a long-term project with [Ruben] Amorim. He knows what he wants to do. "It's tough when you're not in the Champions League to attract players so he was relying on winning the Europa League. "It's harder to recruit when you're not in the Champions League. It's 100% a factor." Lingard has played 40 times for Seoul, scoring 10 goals The eight-hour time difference doesn't just create difficulties in terms of Lingard watching his beloved Manchester United. When he embarked on his new adventure, he knew he would do so without his daughter Hope and mother Kirsty. His family have made the trip to Seoul to visit Lingard, but staying close can be tricky. "It's just Facetime calls, really. It's tough because you want to be there in real life," says Lingard. "But what's good is that my daughter understands what I'm doing and why I'm doing it. "She is always on the Nintendo DS, playing with FC Seoul and scoring goals playing as me. "But it is hard with Facetime because we are eight hours ahead so you have to catch her at the right time." But Lingard has no regrets that his career has taken him to South Korea. Leaving Manchester United was a wrench. He'd spent 22 years at Old Trafford before leaving for Nottingham Forest in 2022. The move to the City Ground didn't go according to plan – an injury hit campaign restricted Lingard to 12 Premier League starts before his 12-month contract expired in the summer of 2023. Lingard does have regrets about the Forest move. He could have gone to West Ham, where he had enjoyed a resurgence during a six-month loan stint in 2021. He had done so well at London Stadium that he was recalled into the provisional England squad for the delayed Euro 2020, just missing the cut for the final party. Under David Moyes, the Warrington-born footballer produced some of the best football of his career. So when the opportunity arose to be reunited with Moyes on a permanent basis in the summer of 2022, Lingard's heart was already in east London. So why did he end up at Forest? "The Forest deal, when we were going through that - and I don't want to go into too much detail - but I wasn't in control of anything at that time," he says. "I basically didn't have a choice. I knew what I wanted to do, I knew what offer was on the table from West Ham and what was on offer from Forest - there was a place I'd have preferred to go. "But people have their own say and at the time I didn't really feel like I could voice my opinion. "Now I can see people didn't have my best interests [at heart]. But obviously West Ham didn't happen. I went to Forest. "The Forest thing happened for a reason, for me to find out certain things." Lingard played more than 200 times for Manchester United before leaving permanently in 2022 Lingard has found peace of mind across the other side of the world. His start in South Korea didn't go according to plan; meniscus surgery curtailed his progress during his first season. Slowly but surely, however, Lingard is rediscovering his love for the game. He says he is as fit and strong as he has ever been. "I'm running between 10km to 12km every game, my high-speed runs are always high," Lingard says. Playing in the heat takes its toll, but the gruelling conditions have forced Lingard to find greater levels of self-discipline. "I've been injury-free the whole season, taking care of my body, recovering better, eating the right foods. Being professional," Lingard says. "In England I had my chef and personal trainer with me. Here it is totally different. I've got to do it on my own. "I remember one of the first games in Jeju - I felt like I was blowing after a couple of minutes. So humid. "The tempo is high out here, the games are intense. At the start, I wasn't fit, but once I found the rhythm I got used to it." The pain of leaving Manchester United is behind Lingard, and the unease of his move to Nottingham Forest has gone. While many would question his decision to leave European football for South Korea, Lingard is enjoying his football - and enjoying his life. "At the time I wasn't playing at United, I became stressed because all I wanted to do was play football - and when you become stressed you become distracted," Lingard says. "I'm out here to find peace. Happiness is peace at the end of the day. If you can find that, it doesn't matter where you are. "I'm still playing football and I'm enjoying myself. I still have many years of playing football ahead of me - I'm 32 but the stats don't show that I'm 32. "I can play for a long time. It has 100% been the right choice. It was a fresh start, to get my happiness back playing football, that was the main thing. "It's been an amazing experience. Different cultures, the people are amazing, the city is amazing. "I feel I've come on leaps and bounds mentally. I think the move has improved my outlook on life." Seoul will clearly always have a special place in Lingard's heart. But the future? Lingard's contract expires at the end of the current K-League season in November, but FC Seoul have an option to extend his deal by a further 12 months. "I've thought about the future quite a bit," adds Lingard. "Not much can happen this season so I just want to concentrate on football. But other possibilities are out there - of course you are going to think about it. "We are only human. We will see what happens when the [transfer] window opens."