Jesse Lingard was greeted warmly by his former Manchester United teammates Marcus Rashford and David de Gea on his first return to Old Trafford with Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.
Lingard came through the United academy and made 232 first-team appearances for the club. He grew up in Manchester and has a strong connection with United, having spent 22 years on the books as a youth player and senior professional.
But after leaving for Nottingham Forest on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract in June, Lingard has been critical of United. He has admitted sadness and frustration over the nature of his departure and this week hit out at “false promises” over a lack of game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
The 30-year-old returned to Old Trafford with Forest on Tuesday and did not get one over on his old side as Erik ten Hag’s team ran out 3-0 winners. Goals from Rashford, Anthony Martial and Fred gave United a comfortable win as Lingard was substituted in the 53rd minute due to an injury.
Nevertheless, it was a memorable night for Lingard, who received a warm ovation from the home fans as he walked off around the pitch. After the full-time whistle blew, he chatted with Rashford, who swapped shirts with his friend, before getting a hug and a chat with De Gea as well.
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Later, Rashford posted a picture of himself talking to Lingard on social media with the caption: “More than just a friend, Good to see you bro.” Lingard shared a few clips of the game and of his ovation on Instagram, as well as a picture of himself and Rashford with the caption “Brother”.
His warm return to Old Trafford may come as a relief and give Lingard some closure following his acrimonious exit in the summer. He was among a group of players who left upon the expiry of their contracts, but his words since shows there has been some bitterness.
“I don’t know why I wasn’t playing. I don’t know what the problem was, whether it was politics or whatever,” he told the Telegraph this week. “I still haven’t got an answer to this day. I didn’t even ask. I’d rather that someone out of respect for me being there that long told me ‘this is why you’re not playing’, but I never got that.
“It was false promises. I was training hard and I was sharp, I was ready to play them games. When you’re working hard in training and don’t play at the end of it, it’s very frustrating."
Lingard joined United as a seven-year-old and came through the academy. He helped the club win the FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Europa League, but was also regularly loaned out, spending time with Leicester, Birmingham, Brighton, Derby and West Ham.
