da brwin： The former Red Devils attacker has been without a club for six months, and might be risking his career longevity by holding out for the perfect move

da dobrowin： "Jesse [Lingard] has good intelligence, which when combined with his energy and ability, makes for a player with a great future ahead of him. Jesse is a popular member of the squad and I am delighted he has signed a new contract."

Jose Mourinho's lofty words of praise reflected Lingard's standing in the Manchester United squad when he committed to a new four-year contract worth a reported £100,000-per-week in April 2017. Lingard was a late bloomer at Old Trafford, with his big breakthrough moment coming a year earlier in the FA Cup final.

The then-23-year-old's brilliant volley against Crystal Palace secured United a 2-1 win at Wembley in what turned out to be Louis van Gaal's final game, and he built on that platform by becoming a key player under the Dutchman's successor. Lingard also scored in United's 2017 Carabao Cup final triumph over Southampton, and at the time, most fans agreed with Mourinho's assessment of his future potential.

The versatile attacking midfielder went on to register 20 goal contributions for United across all competitions in Mourinho's second season at the helm, which earned him a place in England's 2018 World Cup squad. Gareth Southgate's side surprised everyone en route to a fourth-place finish in Russia, with Lingard featuring in five of their seven games, and excitement was building ahead of the peak years of his career.

Unfortunately, that positivity soon gave way to despair for Lingard, who returned to United with a niggling groin injury. "From that point, I couldn’t get back to where I had been. I was struggling mentally as well as physically," he told the in 2021.

Fast-forward to the present day, and Lingard is spending his days training alone in Dubai as a free agent, having seen his stock plummet following a dismal spell at Nottingham Forest last season. The 31-year-old finds himself at a crossroads after seeing several possible transfer routes slammed shut, and if he's not careful, early retirement may be the only option he has left.

Getty'Don't know why I wasn't playing'

Lingard gradually fell down the United pecking order after Mourinho's sacking in December 2019. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer favoured alternative options in the final third, and eventually sanctioned a loan move to West Ham for the England international in January 2021.

The London Stadium proved to be the perfect environment for Lingard to rediscover his confidence, as he registered nine goals and five assists in just 16 appearances for the Hammers, prompting Solskjaer to give him one last chance at Old Trafford.

"When I came back to United, I felt like a different person," Lingard added in the . "More mature, more confident. I’m taking more responsibility." But within the space of just a few weeks of the 2021-22 season, it became clear he would never regain his status as a United regular.

Lingard finished the campaign with only two Premier League starts to his name, with Ralf Rangnick also leaving him out in the cold after replacing Solskjaer as interim manager. United let the academy graduate's contract expire, and his 22-year association with the club came to a sad end.

“I don’t know why I wasn’t playing,” Lingard told the when quizzed on his final year at Old Trafford. “I don’t know what the problem was, whether it was politics or whatever. 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.”

AdvertisementGettyForest mistake

West Ham went back in for Lingard ahead of the 2022-23 season, but baulked at his hefty £180,000-per-week contract demands. According to , the former United man also received firm offers from Newcastle and Fulham, with four-year contracts on the table at both clubs.

In the end, though, Lingard opted for a lucrative one-year deal at Forest, who had only just been promoted back to the top-flight. The Championship play-off winners were initially prepared to tie Lingard down until 2024, but his representatives urged him to accept a shorter stay.

Their thinking was that one impressive season at the City Ground would transform Lingard into one of the most sought-after free agents on the continent, but the plan backfired in spectacular fashion. Lingard only scored twice in 20 outings for Forest, and spent most of the campaign warming the bench.

The move was a success in a financial sense, as Lingard pocketed a reported £2.4m in wages during his short spell at the club, but his reputation on the pitch took a hit that he has so far been unable to recover from. Although bad luck with injuries undeniably played a role, Lingard didn't make any telling contribution as Forest successfully avoided relegation, posting an embarrassing 0.2 average for shots on target in the Premier League.

Getty'Don't need another player in his position'

Shortly after Lingard's exit at Forest, rumours began circling that he was a target for MLS outfit D.C. United, who were managed by Wayne Rooney at the time. The Manchester United legend fuelled that speculation in an interview with , saying: "Last year when Jesse Lingard signed for a year with Forest, we put him on our Discovery List because you thought there’s every chance that after a year at Forest he’ll want to come to the U.S. and that would mean we could sign him or get money for him."

There was even talk of a potential bidding war between D.C. and Inter Miami, with Lingard travelling to the United States to train at DRV PNK Stadium, where a certain Lionel Messi had also just embarked on his own new chapter. However, neither club made a formal approach for the experienced forward, and he turned his attention back to the Premier League.

Lingard returned to West Ham to keep up his fitness, sparking talk of a potential short-term deal. “Jesse has trained with us for three weeks and he’s improved greatly from when he first came in," Moyes said of Lingard's progress in early September. "I want to give him every opportunity to get himself back in condition and see how he does."

The Hammers boss even gave Lingard a run out in a behind-closed doors friendly against Ipswich Town, but by the end of his six-week trial, Moyes decided against bringing him into the squad permanently. "We like Jesse a lot, but I just don’t know if we need another player in the position he would probably play for us," the Scot later explained.

GOAL ARSaudi flirtation

"Saudi Arabia are doing big things, and in the next couple of years or so, it will be one of the hotspots to go to," Lingard said in an interview with last summer. "I'm not really surprised that the big names are moving out there. Like I say, they're doing big things and it's something I would consider. I've not ruled that out. It's got to be right for me at the end of the day. I've got to go on my gut feeling, but I'm still hungry and striving for success."

Lingard's gut feeling took him to Al-Ettifaq, with Steven Gerrard bringing the former England man on for a one-month training programme after his surprise appointment at the Pro League club. Ex-Premier League stars Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, Demarai Gray and Moussa Dembele had also made the jump to Al-Ettifaq, which helped Lingard settle in quickly.

Gerrard named Lingard in his starting line-up for a friendly clash with Al-Khaldiya on October 11, and he marked the occasion with a goal. By the end of his training contract, Al-Ettifaq had seen enough to suggest Lingard could be a valuable addition, but they had already exceeded their quota for overseas players.

The Saudi club had the option to wait until January to sign Lingard, but it was reported that they weren't prepared to axe two players to make room for him, and his wages were also a stumbling block. Lingard was sent back to square one, despite Gerrard's reported attempts to work out a deal, but that setback doesn't appear to have affected him mentally.