I cried on my way home after leaving Man United even though it was the right thing to do

Jesse Lingard was in tears after he left Manchester United.

The 32-year-old rose through the youth ranks of the club before signing his first professional contract at Old Trafford in 2011, and while his career was filled with promise, it wasn't always smooth sailing in the north west of England. Following loan spells at Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton and Derby, Lingard burst into the Red Devils first team in the 2015/16 campaign under Louis van Gaal.

He was also a frequent starter under Jose Mourinho, but when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took the reins of the club and started to reform it, he gradually saw himself fall out of favour for the likes of Bruno Fernandes. A subsequent loan to West Ham materialised in January 2021, and Lingard returned to Old Trafford revitalised after scoring nine goals in 16 games for the Irons.

However, he failed to find his footing under Solskjaer once more, opting to part ways with the club for a fresh start with Nottingham Forest. Reflecting on the decision, Lingard told the Independent: "Being in the same environment for a long time, it kind of stifles you.

"In football, you’ve always got ups and downs. You’ve got to be mentally strong. And, you know, sometimes at United, I wasn’t. Things happen off the pitch that you can’t really control. It affects you on the pitch. I spoke to Ole and a couple of staff members and they understood, because they’re human as well.

"It comes to a certain point where, when you’re not playing regularly, you’re not just going to sit there for the money." He added: "I was really dialled in and locked in at that time. The way I played, when you come back to your home club, you’re expecting to play.

"Obviously, that didn’t happen. You get frustrated. My application in