Nottingham Forest attacking midfielder Jesse Lingard is a happy man after quitting Manchester United according to his latest interview.
Lingard has revealed that he wishes to venture into filmmaking when he retires from professional football in the near future.
The midfielder has said he wants to be happy in everything he does especially after having a difficult time toward the end of his career at Manchester United.
READ: Lingard denies asking for time off at Man Utd after move fell through
Lingard wants to end his career in football in the USA, Los Angeles where he thinks he will kickstart his acting skills by venturing into comedy first.
During the interview, the midfielder also stated how he started drinking to forget about his problems while playing for United.
Lingard's struggle with substances
Jesse Lingard says he has struggled with alcohol after facing abuse from fans. The struggles were further aggravated by his mother's battle with depression, according to his interview with The Diary Of a CEO podcast.
"I was drinking before bed, having a nightcap. I look back now and think, 'what was I doing that for?' But I needed something to try and take the pain away and put me at ease somehow.
"I was trying to forget what was going on. But it makes it 10 times worse. You're getting that much abuse, and I'm already down enough, and I've got to perform. I'm already going through things you don't know about… I felt like the world was on my shoulders," said Lingard.
Lingard added that taking care of his siblings when his mother was away in 2019 drained him considering he was facing his own challenges.
"The depression was so bad she couldn't really cope anymore 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.
"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," concluded Lingard.
Lingard has gathered momentum in his career at the moment at Nottingham Forest and all is well.