Jesse Lingard has suffered a drop in followers on social media since comments made by his FC Seoul manager, according to new data. Lingard signed for the K-League 1 side in February, over seven months on from the expiry of his contract with Nottingham Forest. The midfielder was described as the biggest signing in the league's history by several media outlets, and FC Seoul broke the K-League attendance record for Lingard's debut.
Two months on, though, and some of that excitement has dampened as the 28-year-old adapts to life in South Korea. He is yet to make a start for his new club as he builds up match fitness, having played just 89 minutes of football across the entirety of 2023. "I don't think a player who doesn't run for a few minutes is a football player. If he doesn't fit, and doesn't run better than the player who runs for 90 minutes?" It isn't clear, though, how many of this figure represents real accounts, or accounts that have been deleted from the platform