Jesse Lingard of Nottingham Forest claims that when dealing with the stress of his Manchester United career, he turned to alcohol “to try and take the agony away.”

The 30-year-old Lingard joined the squad at the age of seven and made over 230 senior games before losing his place in the starting lineup and joining Forest in July 2022.

He spoke about the “abuse” from fans and his situation at Old Trafford on the podcast The Diary Of A CEO.

He claimed, “I wanted something to try and take the anguish away.

“And somehow made me feel at peace. I had a nightcap of alcohol before going to sleep.

“Now as I reflect, I ask myself, “What was I doing that for? ” I made an effort to block out what was happening. But it gets 10 times worse as a result.

The England international also discussed how, when his mother was sent to the hospital in 2019 for treatment due to her melancholy, he had to take care of his younger siblings Jasper and Daisy-Boo.

He continued, “The sadness was so bad she just couldn’t deal any longer and she needed to go somewhere and get therapy.”

“But I was still going through my own stuff when they left me with my little brother, who was 15, and my little sister, who was 11 at the time.

 

I therefore wasn’t the big brother they were looking for at the moment. I was simply not mentally prepared.

The attacking midfielder claimed he confided in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who was then United’s manager, about the harassment from the fans and personal problems he was going through. He claimed Solskjaer “aided” him when his career was going through a rough patch.

Being mistreated in that manner “topped it,” Lingard added. I didn’t want to be on the field or participate.

“I didn’t want to give up playing football. I would never have stopped playing football, but I required a break.

We kept things close, but even simply hearing Ole ask, ‘How’s your mum? Having others ask, “How is she doing?,” enabled me to explain my situation.

“For me, happiness is more essential.”
Ravel Morrison, Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Ryan Tunnicliffe
At Manchester United, according to Lingard, there was “no structure” and it was like a “free for all.”
Lingard joined Forest on a free transfer after spending 22 years at Old Trafford.

In his final season, he played for United, but only four of those appearances were starts.

People probably assumed I was content to go, but I actually needed to go, he added. “I wasn’t participating.

“I was given a contract offer, but what’s the use? I was not going to participate. Yes, it’s the biggest club in the world, but for me, happiness comes first.

I think they showed the affection,” he remarked when asked why he signed for Forest over West Ham, where he had previously enjoyed a good loan term. They demonstrated a desire and a readiness to want me.

“Things broke down at West Ham, which I won’t go into too much detail about, but Nottingham showed the affection a lot more than West Ham did.

The owner wants to fly you to Greece to sign the contract, and Nottingham was all, “We love you, we want you, the manager will come to your house.

“For me, it presented a fresh, new challenge. newly promoted team, and United is all I have ever known.”

But what truly saddened him and his family was the way he departed United.

Lingard said, “I didn’t really get a send-off.” “I felt like I deserved one because I had been there for so long.

“I’ve known everyone at the club my entire life, from the staff to the kit guys to the dinner ladies. I had lived for that.

Lingard has played 14 times for Forest this year, and the team now sits in 13th place in the Premier League with 20 points.