Jesse Lingard Returns to England for Family Reasons

Jesse Lingard’s winding football journey has brought him back to England once again – at least temporarily.

The former Manchester United midfielder, now with Corinthians, has been granted permission to return home to deal with family matters, the Brazilian club confirmed in an official statement.

“The attacker Jesse Lingard was authorized by the football board and by coach Fernando Diniz to travel to England, this Thursday (05/28), to attend to family matters,” the club announced on their X account, adding that he will miss Saturday’s Brazilian Championship clash with Grêmio.

It is another sharp turn in a career that has already taken Lingard from Old Trafford to Nottingham, then on to Seoul and São Paulo.

From Wembley glory to a Brazilian first

Lingard left Manchester United in 2022 after more than 200 appearances for his boyhood club, his standout moment the extra-time winner in the 2016 FA Cup final at Wembley against Crystal Palace – a strike that etched his name into United’s modern history.

A spell at Nottingham Forest followed, before he headed to South Korea with FC Seoul. Two years in Asia later, he resurfaced in Brazil, signing for Corinthians in a move that raised eyebrows but quickly made sense once he stepped onto the pitch.

Since his debut earlier this year, Lingard has quietly written a new piece of history. He became the first Englishman ever to score for a Brazilian club, then added another milestone by becoming the first English player to score in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s answer to the Champions League.

The Carrington graduate has featured 17 times for Corinthians so far, scoring two goals and supplying one assist. His most recent outing came in Serie A, a 45-minute appearance in a 3-1 win over Clube Atlético Mineiro.

Corinthians caught between struggle and promise

Lingard’s absence comes at an awkward moment for Corinthians. Domestically, they are under pressure. The club sits 15th in the Brazilian league, just two spots and three points above the relegation zone, a position that leaves little room for error.

On the continent, the mood is very different. Corinthians have taken control of Group E in the Copa Libertadores, finishing the group stage on top after six matches and offering a glimpse of a side capable of far more than their league position suggests.

Lingard has been part of that continental push, his goals and experience adding a different dimension to a squad trying to balance survival at home with ambition abroad.

For now, though, Corinthians will have to cope without him. Lingard is back in England, tending to matters away from the pitch, while a club fighting on two fronts waits to see how long its most intriguing recent signing will be gone – and what shape he’ll be in when he returns to a season that still refuses to settle.