Former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard claims people didn't have his 'best interests at heart' when he signed for Nottingham Forest in 2022.

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Lingard opens up on failed Forest moveClaims it wasn't his decisionNow enjoying life in South KoreaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Lingard joined the then newly-promoted club at the end of his Manchester United contract in 2022, despite interest in his services from West Ham, who he had enjoyed a successful loan spell with in the 2020-21 campaign. And the former England international has now opened up on where things went wrong that summer.

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Lingard told: "The Forest deal, when we were going through that – and I don't want to go into too much detail – but I wasn't in control of anything at that time. I basically didn't have a choice. I knew what I wanted to do, I knew what offer was on the table from West Ham and what was on offer from Forest – there was a place I'd have preferred to go. But people have their own say and at the time I didn't really feel like I could voice my opinion. Now I can see people didn't have my best interests [at heart]. But obviously West Ham didn't happen. I went to Forest."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Lingard played just 20 times for the Midlands club, scoring two goals and creating two more in his one season at the City Ground. He has since moved on to FC Seoul, where he says he has "found peace" having made "100% the right choice".

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR LINGARD?

Lingard, whose deal with the South Korean club ends in November, said of his future: "Other possibilities are out there – of course you are going to think about it. We are only human. We will see what happens when the transfer window opens."