An English star almost quit soccer due to a mental disorder

England international midfielder Jesse Lingard admitted that he nearly quit football due to mental disorders before he was loaned from Manchester United to West Ham, where he regained his level with the "Three Lions" team in the World Cup Russia 2018. The level of the 28-year-old declined after the World Cup. The Russian national team reached the semi-finals with his country, thus losing his place in the starting line-up of the "Red Devils" team, and finding himself in the midst of psychological problems.

Lingard stated on the YouTube talk show "Introduction" that his mental health had deteriorated to the point that he was considering quitting, or at least moving away a little from the green rectangle.

He said, "I could easily have retired during the lockdown (the first in March of last year due to the Corona virus)," adding, "I could have said that I did not want to do that, I resigned, I surrendered."

"But the struggle inside me always brought me back to life" and "not giving up football, just getting a time out. I used to go to matches happy to sit on the bench, and this is not me."

Lingard regained his goalscoring effectiveness since he got the green light from United Norwegian coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to join West Ham, and he played 10 matches, during which he scored 9 goals in the Premiership.

Thanks to his brilliance this season, England coach Gareth Southgate summoned him to wear the international jersey after he became the most prominent contributor to the "Hammers" struggle for a seat in the European Champions League next season, where West Ham occupies fifth place with 55 points, equal to fourth-placed Chelsea, the last qualified to Parent competition.

But he confirmed that he lost focus in the period before his loan to West Ham, and said, "My mind was not there, I was not focused at all." He continued, "I was thinking of other things, and it was clear that I was trying to play football, and you are nervous and you cannot do that." The international player emphasized that thanks to the doctors ’advice,“ Bit, wake up in the morning, jump out of bed and open the curtains, and even small things can change your behavior. ”

Lingard almost retired due to mental disorders, but decided to tell his coach Solshire about what he was going through, and after his loan to West Ham he had not played for more than a year after he had transferred on loan between Leicester City, Birmingham, Brighton and Derby County before returning to United in the 2015-2016 season. From what he said, "You feel like you are not the same person. I felt like I wasn't Jesse Lingard."

West Ham concluded, stressing that the closure due to the "Covid-19" pandemic was the spark that re-ignited the fuse inside him and made him reconcile with himself after he got help from doctors and watched the matches he fought in the World Cup in Russia to rediscover himself.

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