Jesse Lingard switches attention to America to revive flailing career – Man United News And Transfer News

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Jesse Lingard is seeking to revive his dwindling career by appealing to a number of Major League Soccer clubs.

The former Manchester United star has been left without a club after leaving Nottingham Forest in the summer as his contract expired.

In the summer of 2022, Lingard had signed a rather unusual one-year deal with Forest after leaving Old Trafford as a free agent.

His new deal with the newly-promoted side made him Forest’s highest-paid player, despite interest from West Ham – the club Lingard had impressed on loan to the season before.

It was thought the attacker was planning to perform as one of Forest’s best players and then, come the following summer, once again test the free agency market where he could agree a huge signing-on bonus with a new club.

It’s a gamble which has horribly misfired, however.

Lingard departed the City Ground as planned but found absolutely zero interest from anyone in offering him even a paltry deal, let alone the big signing-on fee he was craving.

Since this rude awakening, Lingard has spent time training with West Ham and Al-Ittihad but has not been able to agree a deal with either club.

The Englishman has even changed his representatives over frustrations at their failure to find him a new team.

One option Lingard and his new agents are pursuing is the proverbial American dream with a number of clubs in the MLS reported to hold an “interest” in the former England international.

Jones contends Portland Timbers are one such suitor who are reportedly “monitoring” Lingard as an option after the MLS club was “sounded out” by the players’ representatives.

Lingard has been working hard in the gym in an effort to impress a prospective new club, though this choice of training drew the ire of Paul Scholes who impolitely implored the 31-year-old to focus on work with the ball rather than his biceps.