Jesse Lingard torn apart by his own manager as South Korea move goes from bad to worse

Jesse Lingard torn apart by his own manager as South Korea move goes from bad to worse

Watch now: GB News' sports round-up

Stuart Ballard

By Stuart Ballard


Published: 17/03/2024

- 14:10

Jesse Lingard has failed to hit the ground running since his move to FC Seoul.

Jesse Lingard has been warned his "name value has no meaning" by his very own manager at FC Seoul after the midfielder's display against Jeju.

The 31-year-old was an England international up until just three years ago, but his career has taken a huge dip since then.


He attempted to revive his fledgling career at Nottingham Forest last season, but failed to score or register a single assist in 17 league appearances.

Forest opted against renewing his contract with Lingard spending the next seven months without a club before penning a two-year deal with South Korean K League club FC Seoul in February.

He's yet to start for his new side with the K League season only getting underway earlier this month.

Jesse Lingard is yet to start a K League game

Jesse Lingard is yet to start a K League game

GETTY

FC Seoul have not won the K League since 2016 and have struggled in the league ever since.

It was hoped that Lingard's arrival would help put the team back and they spent big by making him the league's highest-paid player by some distance.

But Lingard is already starting to frustrate his manager at FC Seoul with his displays off the bench.

Kim Gi-dong was claimed to have said after Seoul's 2-0 win over Jeju: "Even though he came on as a substitute, he didn't work hard and avoided tussle.

"The name value has no meaning on the pitch. I will tell him this exactly."

Lingard ended up featuring for 32 minutes after coming on as a substitute in the second half.

Despite his under-par performances, Lingard has had a positive impact on the K League's popularity.

There were just under 52,000 fans packed into the Seoul World Cup Stadium to see him play against Incheon United.

A 'Lingard zone' was set up outside the ground with fans queueing for hours to try and get their hands on a jersey with the midfielder's name on.

That match ended 0-0 with Lingard featuring for 60 minutes after coming on as a first-half sub.

And Lingard admitted afterwards that he would need some time to get back up to full match sharpness.

Jesse Lingard has made a big impact off the pitch

Jesse Lingard has made a big impact off the pitch

GETTY

"I'm still building. I played six, seven games pre-season - 45 minutes plus," he said.

"Like I say, I came on a bit earlier than expected today.

"As a sub, you've got to be ready. Of course, I've not played a full 90 in a very long time.

LATEST SPORT NEWS:

Jesse Lingard was on the pitch for FC Seoul's first win of the season

Jesse Lingard was on the pitch for FC Seoul's first win of the season

GETTY

"I'm going to fatigue a little bit, I'm going to get tired a little bit.

"But, the energy is there from the crowd. It kept me going.

"They're behind us 100 per cent. To see 50,000 people turn up today was amazing support from everyone."

You may like