I was struggling mentally as well as physically, admits Jesse Lingard

The England attacker suffered groin, hamstring, and knee injuries during 2018 and 2019 which forced him to miss out on games and prevented progress from being continued. Lingard eventually moved to West Ham in January 2021 on loan and registered nine goals and four assists for the Hammers in 16 appearances. The loan move has brought confidence back into the 18-year-old's game as he continues his career at Old Trafford this season. Lingard opened up the troubles he faced while he was struggling at a crucial part of his career.

“I couldn’t get back to where I had been. I was struggling mentally as well as physically. There was the off-field stuff with my mum and her battle with depression. I’ve talked about it before, and that isn’t what this story is about — but that affected me, too. It’s my mum, you know? Not playing only made things worse. But when I finally did play, even when I was fit again … I wasn’t me. My family kept coming to games, but they couldn’t even watch me. They were like, ‘This ain’t you. This ain’t your aura’. Games were passing me by like I wasn't there. Like a ghost,” Lingard told The Players’ Tribune.