Jesse Lingard is set for a month on the sidelines, with his FC Seoul manager revealing the midfielder has undergone knee surgery.
The former Manchester United and West Ham star’s move to South Korea has not gone to plan and now his spell in Asia has gone from bad to worse with an injury setback.
Lingard arrived at Seoul in February but had to wait a month to make his debut for the K-League side.
The 31-year-old lacked match fitness after a spell of nearly seven months without a club after being released by Nottingham Forest at the end of last season.
He then made only three appearances for his new team, all as a substitute and playing a total of 103 minutes of football with no goals or assists, before being sidelined with a knee injury and missing their last four games.
Lingard is said to have been close to a return to action, but then suffered a setback in training.
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According to South Korean journalist Sungmo Lee, it was decided Lingard would undergo minor surgery to fix the issue.
FC Seoul manager Kim Gi-dong has confirmed he expects Lingard to be out of action for a month as he recovers from the procedure, which took place on Friday, and gets back to full fitness.
There’s still plenty of time for Lingard to get more games under his belt, though, with the K-League season running from March to November.
Lingard signed a two-year deal with FC Seoul in his first move away from the Premier League, with the England international’s arrival branded ‘the biggest signing in the K League’s history’.
But it’s not gone the way he, South Korean football fans or the media would have hoped, with Lingard struggling to make an impact.
His debut for the club in March ended in a 2-0 defeat to Gwangju, with the Englishman being dealt a yellow card for flying into a rash tackle just minutes after his introduction from the bench.
He helped make history and smash the K-League attendance record in his second game, with fans flocking to watching him on his home debut.
A record-breaking 51,670 fans packed into the Seoul World Cup Stadium to watch a 0-0 draw with Incheon United in the Gyeongin derby.
He was greeted with huge cheers every time he touched the ball, with fans waiting for over two hours to buy specially produced merchandise featuring the no No.10 in a fan park outside the ground dubbed ‘The Lingard Zone’
However, there was no fairy tale moment – the opposite, in fact – as Lingard wasted a late chance to win the game when he fired over the bar from close range.
His third game saw him involved in a 2-0 victory over Jeju United, but he didn’t get on the pitch until the 58th minute, but which time his side had already scored both their goals.
And it appears he will have to wait to make his fourth appearances, with his fans, teammates and manager likely hoping to see why he enjoyed six years as a Manchester United player in the Premier League.
For Lingard, who is believed to be on around £17,000 at his new club, he will just be hoping he can get back onto the pitch again soon, as he looks to rekindle his love for the game.
After his arrival in South Korea, he said: “I just want to enjoy playing football again, putting a smile on people’s faces and showing Korean fans what I can do.”
News Summary:
- Jesse Lingard suffers latest setback at FC Seoul as manager gives injury update
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