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.
