He said that abuse from United supporters and his mother’s battle with depression led to his turning to alcohol.
Jesse Lingard has admitted that he suffered mental problems brought on by his stalled Manchester United career and his mother’s bouts of depression. He drank alcohol to “attempt to take the agony away.”
Before departing for newly promoted Nottingham Forest at the end of the previous season after 22 years at United, the forward spent 22 years at Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old scored the game-winning goal for United in the FA Cup final in 2016, but he often struggled to stay in the lineup.
In the second half of the 2020–21 season, Lingard shone while on loan at West Ham, but when he returned to United, he was once again on the periphery.
He said that abuse from United supporters and his mother’s battle with depression led to his turning to alcohol.
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Lingard admitted to taking a nightcap of alcohol before going to bed on The Diary of a CEO podcast.
“Now, as I reflect, I ask myself, “What was I doing that for?” However, I needed something to try to alleviate the suffering and calm me down.
“I tried to block out what was happening. It becomes ten times worse, though.
“You receive so much abuse, and I’m already depressed enough, and I have to perform.” You have no idea what I’m going through right now. The weight of the entire planet was on my shoulders.
When Lingard was a child, his mother, Kirsty, struggled with depression and frequently spent the entire day in bed.
He was left to take care of his younger siblings, Jasper and Daisy-Boo, after she was taken to the hospital for treatment in 2019.
She couldn’t really cope because of the depression, so Lingard decided she needed to leave and get assistance.
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“But I was still going through my own difficulties as well,” she continued, “leaving me with my younger sister, who was 11 at the time, and my little brother, who was 15.”
After receiving “false promises” over his playing time at United, Lingard said he was incensed when the team refused to allow him to join Newcastle on loan in January 2022.
When asked if he still had faith in the United States, Lingard responded, “Probably, definitely.” It resembled a wild goose chase. They have fallen far behind in everything. You may view the facilities at Tottenham and Manchester City. The crowd is miles ahead.
