Lingard to make MLS move? Ex-Man Utd & England star sees himself chasing American dream

• Playmaker currently at Forest
• Left Old Trafford as a free agent
• Has business interests in the States

WHAT HAPPENED? The 30-year-old playmaker, who has 32 England caps to his name, left Manchester United as a free agent in the summer of 2022. He opted to remain in the Premier League at that point, as an initial 12-month contract was agreed at the City Ground, but Lingard can see himself chasing an American dream once he starts to focus more on his business interests away from the field.

WHAT THEY SAID: Lingard has told The Diary of a CEO podcast: “Off the pitch I’ve always been on the go. I always want to know what the next thing to do is, what’s the next investment, what can I be involved in, what can I do? I’ve got an ESports team, I love gaming, I’ve got my own brand, I love fashion, I’ve got a media company called One Touch Entertainment. I just want to be happy and do things I want to do to make me happy.

“The investment and business side of things, of course I want to set things up for my little sister and little brother, for my daughter when she grows up, things they can go into straight away. The media company is based in LA and that’s where eventually I want to finish football. Finish in America? Yeah, I think so.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Lingard took in 232 appearances for United after stepping out of their famed academy system, but slipped down the pecking order towards the end of his time at Old Trafford and enjoyed a productive loan stint at West Ham before eventually linking up with Forest on a free transfer.

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WHAT NEXT? Lingard could come up against United again in his next outing as Forest are readying themselves for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final showdown with the Red Devils on Wednesday.