Jesse Lingard is without a doubt the biggest foreign name to lately emerge in South Korean football. The former Manchester United midfielder moved to Seoul this winter, for his debut there were 51,670 spectators in the stands, which was a record, but he still hasn’t played games worthy of his reputation. For this, he received public criticism from his coach Kim Gi-dong.In the 1st round of the K League against Gwangju (0-2), Lingard entered the game in the 77th minute, in the 2nd round he replaced the injured Shigehiro in the 31st minute in a draw with Incheon (0-0), and on Saturday against Jeju (2-0) played from the 58th minute.Kim held nothing back in criticizing the Englishman.”Fame does not win you football matches. Lingard played only half an hour, but did not work on the field at all and avoided duels. If you run less than the players who played the full 90 minutes, then you have no right to call yourself a footballer. If fame brings victories, I would bring successful retired players”, said the Seoul coach harshly in front of Korean journalists.🗣️ FC Seoul manager Kim Gi-dong on Jesse Lingard: “Even though he came on as a substitute, he didn’t work hard and avoided tussle. The name value has no meaning on the pitch. I will tell him this exactly” pic.twitter.com/DVn8azj0Ns— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) March 17, 2024 Many see Kim Gi-dong as the best coach that South Korea has. Therefore, the words of the 52-year-old strategist, who won the national cup last season with an average Pohang Steelers team, should not be taken lightly.”We haven’t spent much time together yet. Yes, I don’t think Jesse played as well as he did in his best days, but he still had some good moves. I will help him become a better footballer,” said Kim.Lingard is 31 years old, and in addition to United, during his career he played for West Ham and Nottingham Forest. If anything, due to his 32 appearances in the England national team, he deserved to be euphorically welcomed by the Koreans. However, it seems that the Englishman took the championship there too lightly, he probably underestimated the quality of the league that produced players like Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, or Kim Min-jae.He has enough time to improve his image, but the evaluation of Lingard after passing through the first gate is – embarrassing.##NAJAVA_MECA_7967532##
