Jesse Lingard responds to his many detractors, including Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, who has slammed his big-money move to Nottingham Forest, stating that he rejected away life changing money to travel abroad.
Lingard joined Forest in a surprise deal earlier this summer after leaving Manchester United at the end of last season.
The midfielder’s intentions have been questioned in relation to the move, which will pay him £120,000 per week – over four times the salary of Forest’s next highest earner.
Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have been among Lingard’s harshest critics, with the former claiming he left United for money and the latter claiming Lingard’s reputation has ‘taken a knock.’
Lingard, though, has fired back, telling Soccer AM that the affection he received was more of a motivating factor in his decision.
‘I could have gone abroad for a lot more money, life-changing money,’ he admitted. ‘It’s nonsense to me; I don’t like to read too much into things; it was my choice.’
‘The owners were aggressive in their approach and went above and above, and when I saw that sort of appreciation, it was difficult to say no.’ ‘I WhatsApp them, and we’re like family.’ They’ve shown me a lot of affection by bringing me here in the first place, and that was one of the most important considerations.’
Lingard appeared ready to return to West Ham, where he spent the second half of the 2020/21 season on loan.
However, he chose to join Forest on a one-year contract, drawing considerable condemnation from fans and analysts alike, notably Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville.
‘He went there for the money,’ Carragher stated in the current Overlap Fan Debate. I’m glad Nottingham Forest are back in the Premier League, but if any footballer is preferring Nottingham Forest above West Ham and what they’ve done in the last two or three years, they’ve obviously gone there for a little dollars.’
‘Jesse could have been clever,’ Neville added. His reputation has suffered. He might have signed a two-year contract that allows him to depart at the end of the season for free if they fail.’