Manchester United star Jesse Lingard says he’s spoken to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer about problems in his personal life affecting him on the pitch.
Almost all Man Utd fans would agree that Lingard has looked majorly off the boil for some time now, with the England international not performing anywhere near like his best for the club.
MORE: Manchester United star opens on up the moment he thought his Old Trafford career was over
Lingard has had his fair share of critics, and fans are of course justified in expecting more from the players they pay so much to go and watch every week.
However, it’s not always clear what’s going on behind the scenes and the 26-year-old has opened up about off-the-pitch problems he’s had this season in an interview with the Daily Mail.
He explained that he’d been in trouble over the dip in his performance levels, so decided to talk with Solskjaer about his mum’s health problems and the extra work he’s had to take on to take care of his younger siblings.
“I wasn’t performing and he (Solskjaer) was on me all the time. He wanted more from me,” Lingard said. “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.
“I am normally quite bubbly and want to put smiles on people’s faces but people have seen the change in my ways.
“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.”
It sounds like it’s been a challenging time for Lingard and his family, and we’re sure most Red Devils fans will sympathise and hope it can get better for him soon.
No one, even wealthy footballers, are immune to family problems or other difficulties in their personal lives and one hopes MUFC will support Lingard to improve his mood and performances in the near future.