Former Manchester United player Jesse Lingard has explained that his mother's battle with depression made it difficult for him to focus on football.
In his final seasons at Old Trafford under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, Lingard's form on the pitch began to dip. During the 2019/20 season, the Englishman struggled to perform for the Reds and he has now explained that off-field matters hindered his performance.
Speaking on The Diary of a CEO podcast, Lingard explained: "The depression was so bad she [his mother] couldn’t really cope and she needed to go away and get help. But leaving me with my little sister, who was 11 at the time, and my little brother, who was 15, for me, I was still going through my own things as well.
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"So I wasn’t really the big brother they wanted at the time. They always get the fun, laughy, bubbly Jesse and I was going through my own things, so I was on autopilot.
"I just wasn’t there, mentally wasn’t there. I was on the pitch but I didn’t want to be on the pitch, I didn’t want to play.
"I didn’t want to quit football, I never would have quit football, but I needed a break. I’m going into games just with a mind blankness.
"I didn’t want to be on the pitch, I didn’t want to be there, so of course I was playing badly."
Lingard went on to explain that Luke Shaw had protected him from abuse after an FA Cup match against Derby County and that at one stage he was drinking alcohol before bed to ease the pain.
"I was drinking before bed, having a nightcap," he added. "I look back now and think 'what was I doing that for?’ But I needed something to try and take the pain away."
Lingard left United in the summer at the end of his contract and joined Nottingham Forest on a free transfer. So far, he has grabbed two goals and two assists in 16 appearances.
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