Lingard made his senior debut while onloan atLeicester City in 2012, and spent time on loan atBirmingham City andBrighton & Hove Albion during the 2013–14 season and atDerby County in 2015. He broke into theManchester United first-team underLouis van Gaal in 2015, and was a regular in the side until 2019, when he fell out of favour underOle Gunnar Solskjær and struggled to regain his place in the team. A productive loan spell withWest Ham United in 2021 saw Lingard rediscover his form, scoring nine goals in 16 appearances. He returned to Manchester United for one more year until he was released at the end of the2021–22 season. He signed a one-year contract atNottingham Forest, before being released at the end of the2022–23 season. Seven months later, he joined South Korean club FC Seoul.
He represented England atunder-17 andunder-21 levels, before making hissenior international debut in October 2016 and representing his country at the2018 FIFA World Cup, where England finished fourth.
Having played forFletcher Moss Rangers[11] and Penketh United[12] as a youngster, Lingard joined Manchester United's youth academy at the age of seven and progressed through the age groups.[13] He was part of the Manchester United team that won the2010–11 FA Youth Cup,[14] before signing a professional contract in July 2011.[15]
Lingard was first included in a senior matchday squad on 30 November 2011, in theLeague Cup quarter-finals againstCrystal Palace atOld Trafford, remaining unused as the team lost 2–1 after extra time.[20] He had his only other call-up of the season on 4 January 2012, again unused in a 3–0 awayPremier League loss toNewcastle United.[21]
On 6 November 2012, Lingard and teammateMichael Keane joinedLeicester City onloan for a month.[22] He made his competitive debut later that day, in a 0–0Championship draw away toBolton Wanderers, coming on as a substitute forMartyn Waghorn in the 85th minute.[23] His loan was later extended to 2 January 2013,[24] and he totalled five appearances for the Foxes.
2013–14 season
Lingard was selected in the 19-man squad for Manchester United's 2013 pre-season tour.[25] He scored his first two goals for United in a 5–1 friendly win against the A-League All Stars in Sydney on 20 July,[26] the first of which was the club's first goal under new managerDavid Moyes.[27] After the match, he said "I believe in myself but I have to start believing in myself more".[28] He also scored againstYokohama F. Marinos[29] andKitchee SC to finish the tour as top scorer with four goals in as many matches.[30]
Although he had hoped to "skip the loan stage this time and break straight through" at Manchester United,[28] Lingard joinedBirmingham City on a month's loan on 19 September,[31] and went straight into the starting eleven for the Championship match againstSheffield Wednesday atSt Andrew's two days later. He opened the scoring after 20 minutes with his first goal in senior football when goalkeeperChris Kirkland parriedChris Burke's shot, completed hishat-trick 13 minutes later, and scored a fourth in the second half to secure a 4–1 win.[32] Lingard was unavailable for Birmingham's League Cup third-round tie because Manchester United did not want himcup-tied,[33] then in his third league match, he made up for missing a penalty, awarded when he was fouled apparently outside the area, with an 89th-minute header to complete a 4–0 defeat ofMillwall.[34] Agreement was reached to extend Lingard's loan until 14 December,[35] but he then missed three matches while receiving treatment at Manchester United for a knee injury.[36] The loan was further extended, to 1 January 2014,[37] but Lingard was suspended for the last two matches of the spell. He was sent off during a match againstWigan Athletic on 26 December for a lunge onJordi Gómez immediately after being refused a free kick when he appeared to be fouled.[38]
Although Birmingham hoped to extend the loan,[38] Lingard returned to Manchester United and was an unused substitute in the match againstSwansea City on 11 January.[39]
On 27 February 2014, Lingard joined another Championship club,Brighton & Hove Albion, on a 93-day loan.[40] He scored his first goal for the club on 8 April, in a 4–1 win against former club Leicester City, who had sealed promotion to the Premier League days earlier.[41] While with Albion, Lingard played 17 times, including in theChampionship play-offs, and scored 4 goals.[42]
2014–15 season
On 4 August 2014, Lingard came off the bench to score the third goal in United's 3–1International Champions Cup Final win overLiverpool. He made his competitive debut for the club in the first match of the2014–15 Premier League season at home to Swansea City, starting the match but was replaced byAdnan Januzaj because of injury after 24 minutes. Swansea won 2–1 inLouis van Gaal's first competitive match as United manager.[43]
On 2 February 2015, Lingard joined Championship clubDerby County on loan until the end of the season.[44] He made his first start on 14 February, againstReading in theFA Cup.[45]
On 7 November 2015, Lingard scored his first senior goal for Manchester United in a 2–0 win againstWest Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford, opening the scoring with a shot pastBoaz Myhill from outside the penalty area.[46] On 12 January 2016, he scored against Newcastle United in a 3–3 draw atSt James' Park, with a finish that went between the legs of the goalkeeper after a reverse assist fromWayne Rooney.[47] He added his third goal of the season on 2 February against Stoke City in a 3–0 victory with a closer range diving header from a cross byCameron Borthwick-Jackson.[48] On 7 February 2016, Lingard scored his fourth goal of the season in a 1–1 draw againstChelsea atStamford Bridge, breaking the deadlock with a spin and shot inside the penalty area.[49] On 21 May 2016, Lingard scored the winning goal for Manchester United in the2016 FA Cup Final against Crystal Palace, having come on as a second-half substitute for other goalscorerJuan Mata.[50]
2016–17 season
Lingard scored the opening goal as Manchester United beat Premier League champions Leicester City 2–1 to win the2016 FA Community Shield.[51] He scored another important goal in February 2017, this time United's second of a 3–2 win overSouthampton in the2017 EFL Cup Final.[52] On 6 April 2017, Lingard signed a new contract with Manchester United, of four years with an option for a fifth.[53]
2018–19 season
On 5 December 2018, Jesse Lingard scored his first domestic goal of the season in a 2–2 draw againstArsenal.[54] Two weeks later, in theNorth West derby, Lingard scored his second of the season in a 3–1 loss to Liverpool.[55] During United's first game under new interim managerOle Gunnar Solskjær, Lingard doubled his season's tally, scoring a penalty and a goal from open play in United's 5–1 win overCardiff City, in addition to an assist forAnthony Martial.[56] On 25 January 2019, Lingard scored the second goal in a 3–1 win over Arsenal in the fourth round of the FA Cup.[57]
2019–20 season
On 26 July 2020, Lingard scored his first goal in the final matchday of Premier League; his first since December 2018 in the 98th minute to seal a 2–0 win at Leicester City. His goal secured qualification for the2020–21 UEFA Champions League and was the final goal of the2019–20 Premier League season.[58]
On 29 January 2021, Lingard joinedWest Ham United on loan until the end of the season, where he reunited with former Manchester United boss David Moyes.[59] On his debut on 3 February 2021, Lingard scored two goals againstAston Villa as West Ham won 3–1.[60]
In a match againstWolves on 5 April, Lingard carried the ball 52 metres before firing pastRui Patrício, the furthest a player had travelled with the ball before scoring in the Premier League during the season.[61] Lingard continued his good form during his loan spell, contributing nine goals and four assists in his first 10 Premier League games for West Ham.[62] His ninth goal was scored from the penalty spot in the club's 2–3 defeat at Newcastle United on 17 April. The goal meant he had scored more Premier League goals for West Ham than he ever managed in a single season at Manchester United.[62]
On 11 September 2021, Lingard scored the fourth goal for Manchester United in a 4–1 win overNewcastle.[66] On 19 September, Lingard scored an 89th minute winner in 2–1 defeat of West Ham.[67]
On 1 June 2022,Manchester United announced that Lingard would leave the club following the expiration of his contract.[68]
Nottingham Forest
On 21 July 2022, Lingard signed for newly promoted Premier League clubNottingham Forest on a one-year contract,[69] becoming their highest-paid player for the 2022–23 season.[70] Although he neither scored nor assisted a goal in his 17 league appearances, he made two assists and scored twice to help the team reach theEFL Cup semi-finals.[70] Lingard and five other senior players were released when their contracts expired at the end of the season.[71]
FC Seoul
On 7 February 2024, Lingard signed a two-year contract with South KoreanK League clubFC Seoul.[72] The signing of Lingard by FC Seoul was described by South Korean football journalist Lee Sungmo as, "the biggest signing in the K League's history".[73]
After a 2–0 victory againstJeju United FC on 16 March, Lingard was publicly criticised by FC Seoul's head coach,Kim Gi-dong, citing a lack of effort and physicality.[74][75]
Lingard appeared for 105 minutes during FC Seoul's first six games of the season, before undergoing knee surgery.[76]
Lingard scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home win againstGangwon FC on 26 June, kicking the ball into the corner from the penalty spot.[77]
Lingard received his next call-up for2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers againstMalta andSlovenia in October 2016.[83] He made his debut against Malta, starting on the left wing as England won 2–0.[84] Lingard scored his first goal on 23 March 2018, in a 1–0 win over theNetherlands in a friendly.[85]
In May 2018, Lingard was named in the 23-man England squad for the2018 World Cup.[86] On 24 June, Lingard scored his firstWorld Cup goal in a 6–1 victory overPanama during their second group stage match.[87] During the tournament, Lingard received five starts, plus a substitute appearance in the third place play off against Belgium which saw England finish fourth in the tournament.[88]
During the November international break, Lingard scored the first goal in Wayne Rooney's farewell match against the USA on 15 November.[89] On the following Sunday, Lingard scored the equaliser in 2–1 win over Croatia which put England top of their group and qualified them for theUEFA Nations League semi-finals to be held in June 2019.[90][91]
Lingard was left out of the England squad forUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches in October 2019.[92] His performances while on loan with West Ham United, since January 2021, earned Lingard a recall to the England squad in March 2021.[93] In May 2021, he was named in the provisional England squad forEuro 2020,[65] but was omitted from the final squad and instead named as a stand-by player for the tournament.[94]
His parents separated when Lingard was very young, and his grandfather would take him to training and was his biggest supporter. He lived partially with his grandparents and also with his mother, as she suffered with depression, and struggled to get out of bed.[98] Due to his mother suffering from mental health issues, Lingard needed to care for his younger siblings, Jasper, and Daisy-Boo.[99]
Lingard has a daughter from a relationship with fitness model and former girlfriend Rebecca Halliday.[100]
In 2018, Lingard launched his own clothing brand,JLingz. The company was criticised by Manchester United former playersRoy Keane andGary Neville as being a distraction from football.[101] It recorded losses of over £200,000 in its first year of trading.[102]
In September 2023, Lingard was banned from driving for 18 months and fined £57,000, a week's wages, having been found guilty ofdrunk driving. Lingard was stopped inSale, Greater Manchester driving aLamborghini Urus and was found to be more than twice over the drink driving limit for micrograms of alcohol in a breath sample given.[103]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 4 November 2025
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Jesse Lingard".Barry Hugman's Footballers. Archived fromthe original on 8 June 2024. Retrieved15 December 2017.
^"Jesse Lingard".11v11.com. AFS Enterprises. Retrieved15 December 2017.
^Flanagan, Chris (20 June 2008)."Jesse's England chance".This is Cheshire. Newsquest. Archived fromthe original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved19 September 2013.
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