This former Manchester United midfielder claims the club never came good on their promises to him before he left without saying a proper goodbye
Jesse Lingard of Manchester United looks on during a training session ahead of their UEFA Europa League Quarter Final match against FC Kobenhavn
Jesse Lingard starred for both Manchester United and Brighton(Image: Getty)
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Jesse Lingard's time at Manchester United ended in a rather acrimonious fashion after he accused them of not keeping promises. United will play another of his old clubs, Brighton, in the Carabao Cup third round.
Michael Carrick's men are all set to host the Seagulls for a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and one of the manager's former United team-mates, Lingard, plied his trade for both sides.
Lingard joined United's academy aged seven and turned professional after winning the FA Youth Cup in 2011. Early on, he embarked on a series of loans, including a spell on the South Coast with Brighton. He also featured for Leicester City, Birmingham City and Derby County, with all these stints coming between 2012 and 2015.
But he soon found his feet at Old Trafford. He established himself within the first team, even scoring an extra-time winner in the 2016 FA Cup final to help win the club's first major trophy since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement.
Jesse Lingard of Brighton celebrates with team mate Kazenga Lua Lua after scoring the teams second goal of the goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Yeovil Town
Lingard enjoyed a short loan spell with Brighton(Image: Getty)
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From 2015 until 2020, he was a semi-regular fixture in United's starting XI under Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. But after falling out of contention in late 2020, he enjoyed another loan at West Ham, where he played 16 games and scored nine goals, earning him Player of the Month honours. He returned to United buoyed and he claims he was told he'd play a key role.
But Lingard made just two Premier League starts all season and later departed for Nottingham Forest, denied the chance to say goodbye to the United faithful after Ralf Rangnick left him as an unused substitute during the final home game of the 2021/22 season. The ex-United and Brighton star was disgruntled when he returned to Manchester to face his former side.
"I don't know what the problem was, whether it was politics or whatever. I still haven't got an answer to this day," Lingard told The Telegraph in 2022 ahead of Forest's clash with United.
"I didn't even ask. I'd rather that someone out of respect for me being there that long told me, 'This is why you're not playing,' but I never got that.
"It was false promises. I was training hard and I was sharp, I was ready to play ... When you're working hard in training and don't play at the end of it, it's very frustrating."
Ralf Rangnick the interim / caretaker manager / head coach of Manchester United talks to Jesse Lingard of Manchester Unitedduring the UEFA Champions League group F match between Manchester United and BSC Young Boys at Old Trafford
The 33-year-old never got to make a farewell appearance for his boyhood club(Image: Getty)
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Lingard spent one forgettable year at the City Ground before making an unexpected move to South Korea and FC Seoul. He captained the K League side and played for them for two years before joining Brazilian outfit Corinthians in March, where he remains.
In a stark contrast to his slightly sour time with United, Lingard's time at Brighton was relatively successful. His former Seagulls team-mate Andrea Orlandi told The Argus when asked about Lingard in 2015: "When he was at Brighton, I liked his attitude. Very calm and relaxed. You could see he could cope with the pressure that you feel at the highest level."
Now, two of his former teams will duel it out, hoping to book their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup as Lingard watches on from Sao Paulo.