Jesse Lingard (32, FC Seoul) is a captain? Former teammate Paul Scholes was taken aback.

Paul Scholes appeared on 'YouTube' Shoot for Love and had a discussion with Patrick Evra and Park Ji-sung. He humorously reacted to the news that Lingard, whom he has followed since his youth days at Manchester United, is playing as a 'captain' at FC Seoul in the Korean K League, saying, "Is that guy a captain? Don't joke."

Lingard, a product of Manchester United's youth system, has been playing for FC Seoul since last season. Upon joining, he garnered significant attention with his strong titles as a 'Manchester United alumnus' and 'England national team member.' However, he struggled to adapt to Korea. Coach Kim Gi-dong even reprimanded him, stating, "He's not even a player."

Lingard, who adapted from the middle of the season, changed significantly. Taking on the role of captain for Seoul has increased his sense of responsibility. The Sun noted, "Lingard faced significant challenges in Korea last year. It seems he is now enjoying his life in Korea." In an interview with The Independent, Lingard expressed, "After scoring a few goals in Korea, requests to take pictures with me have been flooding in. I always oblige. I want to enjoy every moment."

This season, Lingard has been showing impressive form as the captain of Seoul. At this point, Seoul has recorded 13 points (3 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss) after playing 8 matches. Lingard has contributed significantly as captain with 3 goals. In a home match against Daejeon Hana Citizen on the 12th, he scored a valuable equalizer in a situation where they were trailing 1-2.

Despite playing happy football, opinions in the UK are somewhat perplexed regarding 'captain' Lingard. This is largely due to his strong image as a young boy who played alongside Paul Pogba during his time at Manchester United. He has even faced criticism that he ruined the team culture while playing for Manchester United, contributing to the club's struggles to this day.

Recently, Lingard directly responded to a fan's criticism on social media, stating, 'You and Pogba, as two youths, ruined Manchester United.' In an interview with the Mirror, he emphasized, "We did our best at the world’s best club at the time. We made mistakes and learned while growing, which has allowed us to improve steadily."

Lingard stated, "I like Pogba. We are really good friends. Our style might have differed from the team culture. However, I cannot agree with the criticism that we ruined the team culture," adding, "We always tried to win. We laughed and had fun, but we gave our best to win. Could that be what ruined Manchester United's team culture?"

While it may not reach the level of criticism, for Scholes, who knew Lingard's childhood, it seemed as if Lingard's captaincy was strange. During a conversation with Park Ji-sung, he expressed great surprise when hearing the term 'captain' in reference to Lingard, drawing considerable attention.

When Scholes asked about Lingard's recent situation and heard the term 'captain,' he responded, "Captain? Really? Is he really a captain?" and shook his head, saying, "I genuinely like Lingard. But he is not a captain." Despite Patrick Evra beside him laughing and trying to dissuade him, Scholes said, "Korean fans, does it make sense that Lingard is a captain? He’s a really good player and I like him, but he’s not captain material," evoking laughter.

When Park Ji-sung explained the transition of the captaincy in Seoul from Ki Sung-yueng to Lingard, Scholes questioned, "I remember Ki Sung-yueng was a very good player. Did Lingard not pass the captain's armband?" He also expressed, "I’m glad Lingard is doing well. I hope he continues to do even better."

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