Ex-Man Utd forward Jesse Lingard is a free agent after leaving Nottingham Forest last summer; the 31-year-old has has sacked his agents – including members of his family – in an attempt to find a new club; Lingard has grown very frustrated that a move has failed to materialise
Image: Jesse Lingard remains a free agent since leaving Nottingham Forest last summer
Ex-Manchester United winger Jesse Lingard has sacked his agents – including members of his family – in an attempt to find a new club as soon as possible.
The 31-year-old remains a free agent six months on from leaving Nottingham Forest last summer.
The England international has grown very frustrated that several contract offers and enquiries since his Forest exit have failed to materialise.
- Transfer Centre LIVE! | Papers – latest headlines
- Stream Sky Sports with NOW | Get Sky Sports
Take a look at Lingard’s best goals in the Premier League
As a result, Lingard decided to terminate what has been described as a “complex long-term agreement” with his representatives in a bid to revive his career.
Lingard had been represented by members of his family, but took the drastic step of legally dissolving the contract late on Friday night.
A source close to the player has told Sky Sports News that he just wants to play football and is not driven by money as he focuses all of his energy on finding a new club as soon as possible.
Image: Lingard is hoping to find a new club as soon as possible
The forward came close to joining Saudi Arabian side Al Ettifaq in October but the deal suffered a late collapse.
The move’s failure is one of the reasons why Lingard has severed all ties with his agents to go in a new direction.
Despite the Saudi deal falling through, Lingard continued to train with Steven Gerrard’s team and has since been on a strict training regime in the hope of finding a new club.
Lingard has posted on social media photos of him working out in the gym, which drew criticism from Manchester United legend Paul Scholes earlier this week.
Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Instagram cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Instagram cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Instagram cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once
The 49-year-old wrote in the comments: “Are you just gonna **** about in the gym or are you gonna actually play football?”
In response to Scholes, sources close to Lingard say he is doing his utmost to find a new club as soon as possible and is open to any possibilities, with playing football his number one priority.
Lingard’s last game was in April for Forest as he made 20 appearances and scored twice last season after joining on a 12-month deal.
Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Instagram cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Instagram cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Instagram cookies for this session only. Enable Cookies Allow Cookies Once
Prior to his Forest stint, Lingard had an eye-catching loan spell with West Ham in 2021, scoring nine goals in 16 games.
Lingard won the FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League with boyhood club Manchester United, where he made 232 appearances and has 32 England caps.
Follow the January transfer window
The winter transfer window is now open and will close at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Thursday 1 February, 2024.
To ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe, the closing dates were set following discussions with the EFL, DFL, Serie A, LaLiga, and LFP, who will all close their summer and winter windows on 1 September and 1 February respectively.
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports’ digital platforms, while you can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News, including daily transfer shows, and listen to our Transfer Talk podcast.
Sourse: skysports.com