Former Manchester United and England midfielder Jesse Lingard
said he wanted to "enjoy playing football again" after signing for
South Korea's FC Seoul on Thursday.
The 31-year-old has been without a
club since leaving Nottingham Forest at the end of his
contract last summer. Lingard,
who spent 22 years at United before leaving Old Trafford in
2022, said joining Seoul was a new challenge and he was
"ready to accept it". "It's a new beginning for me,
a new chapter in my career," he told reporters at a press conference after
being greeted by fans at the airport.
"I just want to enjoy playing football again,
putting a smile on people's faces and showing the Korean fans what I can do."
Lingard said he had "multiple offers" but they were "all
verbal", and that he joined Seoul because they
were committed to signing him. Lingard played only 20 times in all
competitions for Forest and featured just four times in 2023.
He said it took "two or three days" to negotiate
the deal with Seoul. The club did not disclose the length of his
contract but reports said it was for two years. "Everyone was happy
with the deal and now I've finally signed I
can concentrate on my football," said Lingard."I'm looking
forward to getting back on the pitch."
Seoul, who finished seventh in the 12-team table last season, said
they had signed "a player with the
biggest name value in the 41-year history of
the K-League". Lingard scored Manchester United's winner in
the 2016 FA Cup final but often struggled to hold down a regular place in the
team. He starred during a loan spell at West Ham in the second half of the
2020/21 season, only to find himself on the fringes again when he returned to
United.
He revealed last year that he used alcohol to "try
to take the pain away" as he battled mental demons caused
by his stalling United career and his mother's bouts of depression. He
has scored six goals in 32 appearances for England and was in
the 2018 World Cup squad. Lingard will join Seoul's training camp in Japan
ahead of the new K-League season, which kicks off on March 1.
"I've come here to embrace the culture, learn new
things and more about the K-League, to make it more global than it already
is," he said. "For personal goals, I have them written
down back at home, but it's about the team, and I want to play for the
team."
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