Looking back on his disappointing final year at Old Trafford, Jesse Lingard has accused Manchester United of offering him “false promises.”
Former United youth player laments his lack of a fitting send-off in front of the Old Trafford supporters and his treatment by the club in his last season. After an impressive loan stint at West Ham, during which he scored nine goals and dished out five assists in 16 Premier League games, Lingard returned to Manchester United in the summer of 2021. After that, he only started four games for the Red Devils under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his interim replacement Ralf Rangnick before leaving for Nottingham Forest at the end of his contract this summer.
“I don’t know what the problem was, whether it was politics or whatever. I still haven’t got an answer to this day. I didn’t even ask,” Lingard told The Telegraph before making his first visit to United as a member of the Forest team. “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, it’s very frustrating. So this is a chance to say my goodbyes because I never really got that. It will be an enjoyable occasion, but we want to win the game. You can’t get caught up too much in it emotionally.”
Initially hindered by an injury, Lingard had a tough time adjusting to life on the Forest pitch. But he started revving back up right before the World Cup, and he scored his first goal for the club in a 2-0 Carabao Cup victory over Tottenham. He scored again after the international break against Blackburn, ensuring the team’s progression to the quarterfinals. Regarding his fitness once again, he said, “The break has been better for my Achilles. I couldn’t sprint properly. People wanted me to hit the ground running like I did at West Ham, but it’s sometimes not like that. I was trying to get through games and not feeling 100 per cent. Now I’ve recovered and come back sharp. I can’t wait for the season to start again. In the Tottenham and Palace games, that’s where you saw the real me, with the work ethic, pressing and tackling.”
When the forward returns to the field at Old Trafford with Nottingham Forest for a Premier League match on Tuesday evening, he will be hungry to settle old scores against United.