Jesse Lingard admitted to drinking during Man United’s struggles

• Jesse Lingard used to drink “to try to take the agony away”.
• Lingard’s mother, Kirsty, suffered from depression as a child.
• His younger siblings were sent to the hospital for treatment in 2019.

Jesse Lingard has admitted that he used to drink “to try to take the agony away” while his Manchester United career was on the decline.

Lingard joined United’s academy at the age of seven and stayed for 22 years before joining Premier League newcomers Nottingham Forest last summer.

The England international played in more than 230 senior matches for United and scored the game-winning goal in the 2016 FA Cup final, but he later admitted that he was “trying to ignore what was going on” at Old Trafford because of fan hatred and his mother’s melancholy.

“I was having a nightcap before going to bed. I look back now and wonder, ‘What was I doing?’ But I wanted something to take the edge off the pain and put me at peace “Lingard told The CEO Diary podcast.

“I was attempting to forget what was happening. However, it exacerbates the situation tenfold. You’re getting that kind of abuse, and I’m already down, and I have to perform. I’m already going through stuff you’re not aware of… I felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.”

Lingard’s mother, Kirsty, suffered from depression as a child and usually spent the entire day in bed. After his younger siblings Jasper and Daisy-Boo were sent to the hospital for treatment in 2019, he was left to care for them.

“The despair was so severe that she couldn’t really cope anymore, and she needed to get away and get therapy,” he explained.

The winger also stated that talking up to then-Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about his personal troubles aided him.

“Being abused like that tipped the scales. I didn’t want to be on the field, let alone play. I didn’t want to quit football, and I never would have, but I needed a break “He stated.

“I need to find some motivation, some fire in my belly, to get back to work because I can’t keep doing this. We kept things close, but even simply hearing Ole say, ‘How is your mother? ‘How is she doing?’ helped folks understand what I was going through.”

Lingard returned to United after a good second half of the 2020-21 season on loan at West Ham, where he scored nine goals in 16 appearances, only to struggle for playing time.

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