The Red Devils attacker hasn't been at his best for quite some time but their is a "heartbreaking" reason for it.

We have all seen the online trolls comparing random player’s goal contributions to the under-performing Jesse Lingard – remember the tweets highlighting how Ter Stegen has more assists than the Englishman? To say the Man United attacker has been struggling would be an understatement but the player has now offered context to his poor form.

The 26-year-old has one goal and one assist to his name all season despite making 20 appearances for the Red Devils in 2019/20. However, Lingard has now revealed the heartbreaking reason for his shortcomings in an interview with the Daily Mail.

The attacker opened up about the heartbreaking family issue which has been going on in the background. Lingard’s mother has been unwell since the beginning of the season, which Jesse has to deal with, but is also now looking after his two younger siblings aged 14 and 11.

The Three Lions player admitted that this has taken a toll on his professional career, having fallen out of favor at Old Trafford and thus no longer getting a look from England coach Gareth Southgate. The 26-year-old has received several rebukes from Solskjaer but finally decided to open up to the Norwegian boss, deciding to no longer keep his emotions a secret.

“I wasn't performing and he was on me all the time. He wanted more from me,” he told the Daily Mail. “So I felt it was best to get everything off my chest and tell him why my head wasn't right. So I knocked on his door.”

He added: “I am normally quite bubbly and want to put smiles on people's faces but people have seen the change in my ways,' he explained.

“I have been down and glum; just worrying. I felt like everybody just passed all the stuff to me and it weighed on my shoulders. It was like, "Here you go Jesse, you deal with this on your own".

“My mum has had some things for years but never really got help. Now she is. So I have been taking care of my brother and sister. They are with me. It has been tough to see my loved ones struggling and then I have to come to work and try to do my job.”

The family concerns sadly do not stop there. Lingard, who is described as a family man, saw his grandad get diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he is still battling, while his grandma almost had a leg amputation.

Jesse has found starts hard to come by and that’s understandable. Man United are in a fight to qualify for the Champions League and thus need to field their best performers. Despite this, the Englishman opened up about one special moment with Ole during their recent cash with Brighton.

“When I came on the manager said to me, ‘Just go on and play with a smile and enjoy it’. 

“To hear that gives you confidence. He knows what kind of character I am. I need to be smiling.

“He has just told me that everything will be OK. Maybe I just needed someone to say that.

“He said he just wanted the old Jesse back and maybe I can give him that now.”

While Lingard cannot escape the criticism, all we can do is hope for the best for him and his family. The Red Devils next game is a home clash with Everton, a game that the attacker might feature in given that he has started in the wins over Tottenham and Man City.

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Manchester United 1 - 1 Everton

December 15, 2019 9:00amOld Trafford (Manchester)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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