It appears that ex-Manchester United man Jesse Lingard has finally found a successful home after leaving Old Trafford.
Jesse Lingard‘s career appeared to be drifting into obscurity after consecutive failed spells post-leaving Manchester United.
His move to FC Seoul in South Korea after a long spell as a free agent seemed like the final nail in the coffin for his career that promised much when he was scoring winners at Wembley for Man United.
Things turned worse when he couldn’t even display his abilities in South Korea but recently, he seems to have turned a corner with increased responsibilities.
Jesse Lingard lighting it up at FC Seoul
After initially arriving to great fanfare, Lingard was quickly brought down to earth at FC Seoul after getting criticism for not adapting well to the club.
It looked like another case of Lingard not making the most of his gifts, hampered further due to a knee injury for which he had to undergo surgery in March, but he turned it around this time and worked hard to get into the team.
From there, he was named captain of the team, and the increased responsibilities have him playing some of the best football of his career.
The peak of it came recently in a league game against Gangwon, where Lingard scored a brilliant strike to secure a 2-0 win for his team.
It was his third goal since going to South Korea and finally, Lingard looks to be enjoying his football again, being on the same wavelength as his teammates.
Lingard sent a three-word message after the win, saying, “Light it up”, to which United legend Patrice Evra sent his congratulation, writing, “Well do[ne] brother”.
United captain Bruno Fernandes, along with Diogo Dalot and Ethan Wheatley ‘liked’ the Instagram post.
Unfulfilled potential but a happy career
There is no doubt that Lingard will look back on his career and see it as a missed opportunity to achieve so much more but he genuinely looks like he’s found a happy place after a long while.
Betting on himself by taking a one-year contract at Nottingham Forest didn’t work as they sank without trace and that’s when Lingard looked destined to fade away.
To his credit, he recognised his reality and took a step back, and a step-down, by leaving European football altogether and prioritising his love for the game.
That decision is paying dividends now as the United academy product is playing some of the best football of his career in front of fans who regard him as a messiah, and a team that values his skills.
At the age of 31, it’s highly unlikely that he ever makes a return to European football but a career of unfulfilled potential looks set to have a happy ending at least.
After all, not many players get to say they could have achieved more when they already have multiple winners at Wembley for their boyhood club!
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
