Jesse Lingard responds to brutal criticism from FC Seoul manager | OneFootball

The former Manchester United and Nottingham Forest midfielder made the move to South Korea in February but is still without a goal or an assist after three appearances for his new club, and his underwhelming start to life at the club brought some fierce criticism from Kim.

"I've been thinking a lot about removing Jesse [from the team]," Kim said. "If a player who only plays for a few minutes doesn't go in and show off, fight and run as well as players who play for 90 minutes, I don't think he is a football player.

"His name has no value on the pitch, and I will tell him that exactly."

Unsurprisingly, the comments caused quite a stir when picked up by the English media, but both Kim and Lingard have since played down the severity of the message.

Lingard has endured a tough start to life in Korea / MB Media/GettyImages

"I think it was a little exaggerated in the media," Lingard said in response. "That's part of football, too.

"I returned to training and had a thorough conversation with the manager, and now I'm focusing on the next game."

Kim revealed: "As soon as he saw me, he didn't say hello but instead gave me a hug. I said: 'You are a special player and you need to take on the role of a leader, and in that regard, I did that interview'."

Lingard is currently nursing a knee injury but will hope to turn the tide for Seoul as soon as possible.