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Some things never change, despite the fact that Jesse Lingard lives 500 miles away.

The former England international discusses the struggles that have caused him to play for Seoul FC in the bustling capital of South Korea in an interview with BBC Sport.

However, he never gets too far away from Manchester United. He was watching when they played Tottenham in the Europa League final last week.

“It was watched.” I went to bed at 9 o’clock and set my alarm, according to Lingard, because it was 4 a.m.

“The final was something I had to watch. United will always be my heart and soul mate. I continue to follow their games or catch highlights.

Lingard might conclude that the expense wasn’t worthwhile. In a game that has been hailed as one of the worst European finals in recent memory, his boyhood club lost 1-0.

The 32-year-old’s love for United continues despite his newfound acclaim in eastern Asia.

Fans will continue to support them despite their best efforts, he claims. “They will always be one of the biggest clubs in the world,” he declares.

“Ruben] Amorim might be working on a long-term project. He is aware of his goals.

He relyed on winning the Europa League because it’s difficult to attract players because he wasn’t in the Champions League.

Lingard’s beloved Manchester United is hampered by the eight-hour time difference, which doesn’t just make things difficult.

Without his daughter Hope and mother Kirsty, he was certain he would succeed in his new venture when he made the decision.

Although his family has traveled to Lingard, it can be challenging to stay close.

“It’s really just Facetime calls,” she said. You want to be there in real life, Lingard says, “but it’s difficult.”

“But what’s good is that my daughter understands what I’m doing and why I’m doing it,” she said.

She frequently plays for FC Seoul, scoring goals while playing for me, on the Nintendo.

“But Facetime is difficult because you have to catch her right away because we are eight hours ahead.”

Lingard regrets not having moved to South Korea as a result of his career.

A wrench caused by leaving Manchester United. Before moving to Nottingham Forest in 2022, he had spent 22 years at Old Trafford.

Before his 12-month contract expired in the summer of 2023, Lingard was limited to 12 Premier League starts due to an injury-hit campaign that prevented the move to the City Ground.

Lingard regrets the Forest’s decision, though. He might have gone to West Ham, where he had resurrected after a six-month loan spell in 2021.

He was recalled to the provisional England squad for the delayed Euro 2020, just missing the cut for the final party because he had performed so well at London.

The Warrington-born footballer produced some of his best football of all time under David Moyes.

Lingard was already in east London when the chance came up to be permanently reunited with Moyes in the summer of 2022.

Why did he end up at Forest, then?

He says, “The Forest deal, when we were going through that – and I don’t want to go into too much detail, but I wasn’t in control of anything at the time.”

“Practically, I didn’t have a choice,” she said. There was a place I’d have preferred to go, and I was aware of what I wanted to do. I was aware of the offers West Ham and Forest had made.

However, everyone has their own opinion, and I didn’t feel like I could express it at the time.

“Now I can see that people don’t care about what I want most,” she says. West Ham, however, is undoubtedly unknown. I visited Forest.

Lingard has found inner tranquility on the other side of the globe.

His first season in South Korea ended badly due to meniscus surgery, which prevented his progress.

However, Lingard is slowly but surely discovering his passion for the game.

He claims to be as strong and fit as he has ever been.

Every game, I run between 10 and 12 kilometers, and Lingard claims that his high-speed runs are constant.

Although playing in the heat is exhausting, Lingard has to work harder to develop self-control.

I’ve been injury-free the entire season, taking good care of my body, recovering faster, and consuming the right foods. Being a professional, “Lingard asserts.

My personal trainer and chef were with me when I traveled to England. It is completely different in this instance. I must do it alone.

After a few minutes, I felt like I was blowing at one of the first games in Jeju. It’s so humid.

The games are intense, and the tempo is high out here. I wasn’t fit at first, but once I found the rhythm, I adapted.

Lingard has overcome Manchester United’s pain and his unease with moving to Nottingham Forest.

Lingard is enjoying his football and enjoying his life, despite the controversy surrounding his decision to switch to South Korea.

When I wasn’t playing for United, I became stressed because I only wanted to play football, according to Linard, and stress causes distraction.

I’m trying to find peace out here. At the end of the day, peace is bliss. It doesn’t matter where you are if you can find that.

“I’m still enjoying myself and playing football.” I’m 32 years old, but the statistics don’t indicate that. I still have a long way to go playing football.

I’ll play for a long time, I promise. It was a wise decision to make. The main reason I wanted to get my happiness back playing football was a fresh start.

It’s been an incredible experience,” she said. Different cultures, amazing people, and amazing cities.

I feel like my mental capacity has increased. My outlook on life has improved as a result of the move.

Seoul will undoubtedly always be a special place in Lingard’s heart. But there is more.

Lingard’s contract expires in November, but FC Seoul has the option to extend it by another 12 months.

“I’ve given the future a lot of thought,” Lingard says.

I simply want to concentrate on football because there won’t be much action this year. However, there are other options out there, so you must consider them.

While most rugby fans spent last weekend training at Principality Stadium for the Champions Cup final, Dublin’s audience was largely among the lowest.

You can tell that James Lowe, one of his team-mates, was one of the young family members who traveled to the zoo with Leinster, Ireland, and James Lowe, who would soon become the Lions’ wing, found something else to occupy the hours that eventually saw Bordeaux-Begles become European champions.

Leinster’s quest for a fifth star has continued since their semi-final defeat by beaten finalists Northampton Saints, which is their first since 2021.

Seven years have passed since they won their fourth title in Bilbao against Racing 92.

Leo Cullen’s team is currently in a strange limbo as they prepare for the United Rugby Championship (URC) play-offs and Saturday’s quarter-final against Scarlets.

It is obvious that a team must do a lot to get their Leinster form back in recent seasons.

After all, there are only a select few teams in the world where a drought would be defined by seven years without a Champions Cup.

Since then, they have lost to Saracens in quarter-final and final, La Rochelle in quarter-final and two finals, to Toulouse in final, and to this year’s semi-final against the Saints.

There was a logic in what lock James Ryan said last year about the “risk of failing greatly” when trying to become greatness despite having won numerous significant games throughout the era.

However, this particular squad is in danger of being forgotten for missing out on such games rather than for the good they have done in those games, like the Buffalo Bills and their subsequent defeats in four consecutive Super Bowls between 1991 and 1994.

All other options will feel diminished when one competition becomes your season’s lodestar.

In a 2023 interview that appears frequently on social media following Leinster’s European defeats, Prop Andrew Porter made this point very clearly.

“You don’t see many Pro14s or URCs on a jersey,” said one player. Before the second of those finals against La Rochelle, he said, “You see those stars that are on the jersey”.

However, it seems like the domestic staple has grown in significance this year.

Following a four-game winning streak between 2018 and 2021, Leinster has not won any of the previous three, which includes the participation of South African sides Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, and Lions.

It will not have gone unnoticed that this particular piece of silverware has also recently proven to be elusive, according to forwards coach Robin McBryde, who said it would represent “a step in the right direction.”

After three seasons, there would be value in simply winning silverware again, despite the success of many of their squads in Ireland.

“For Ireland, we have been able to do that in recent years, but we haven’t been able to transfer that to Leinster,” said Lowe.

“You won’t win with Leinster because you won with Ireland,” the statement goes.

Lowe notes that former Leinster teammates Cian Healy and Ross Byrne are in their final years sporting Leinster blue, which will also have an emotional component.

He said, “Some of the best days of your life are when you win silverware together.”

Cian Healy must have a second medal around his neck in order to leave Leinster. Ross Byrne is not doing him or Ross Byrne justice.

Date: Friday, May 30th Kick-off: 19:00 BST

Northern Ireland occasionally has the impression that League B of the Nations will always be there.

Although Tanya Oxtoby’s side are too good for League C, the top tier has always been a distant memory after three iterations of the competition and qualifying for Euro.

They now have a chance to reach the land where they were promised, but they will need to bring about Oxtoby’s biggest victory.

Poland travels to Belfast on Friday night, three points clear of Northern Ireland, who is currently second in Group 1.

It will be a final game shootout between the teams competing for the promotion play-off spot if Northern Ireland loses to Poland on Friday and Bosnia-Herzegovina defeat Romania.

As of right now, League A’s potential play-off opponents could include countries like Iceland, Denmark, Austria, and Portugal.

In the end, NI’s League A hopes are in their own hands regardless of what happens to Poland.

“It’s what we desired,” he said. We wanted to have control over our own destiny in the final two games, Oxtoby told BBC Sport NI.

“This group of staff and players deserves a lot of praise because they put us in a position where we could accomplish something extraordinary and lead the group.” Our fate rests with us.

After scoring a quick double, Northern Ireland lost to Poland in the opening game of the Nations League.

A dramatic 3-2 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina followed by a 1-0 victory over Romania in the reverse fixture before a draw with Romania followed.

The best football Northern Ireland has ever played under Oxtoby was featured in the opening 45 minutes of the win over Romania, and a spontaneous move led to the goal scoring effort from teenager Kascie Weir.

The key to a positive outcome for Poland, according to Oxtoby, will be to concentrate, and that will present a challenge for a “very good team” as well.

We have come a long way since that game, and some of it disappointed us.

They do what they say they do fairly consistently and well. We are aware that they will arrive and pose problems for us in particular circumstances.

We “will hope to give them problems in return.” Our young group will face a lot of difficulty.

Northern Ireland will make its first appearance at Seaview since October 2023 after a number of games at Windsor Park and Inver Park.

The Belfast venue, which they had in place when they qualified for Euro 2022, hasn’t played there since drawing with Hungary in the inaugural Nations League.

The venue’s owner, Oxtoby, claimed they wanted to make it a “fortress,” and that having a compact ground might cause some problems for them.

The ideal response would be “We want to make it uncomfortable for Poland.”

Izzy Christiansen, an ex-england international, has been hired by Oxtoby to help her young squad.

“We are aware of the level of player excellence that Izzy displayed, and she is a fantastic coach as well,” Oxtoby said.

“The girls are really lapping it up to have a female who has done so much in the game and is also brilliant on the grass,” the girls claim.

Simone Magill, the captain of Northern Ireland, said it was “great” to have her join the young squad after playing alongside Christiansen at Everton.

She is well-known to me. According to Magill, who currently plays for Birmingham City, “she set me up for a good number of of my Everton goals.”

She has done it all, and it’s a real luxury for us to be able to ask questions and pick her brains.

Leaderboard for the US Open first round

-4 Yin (US), Lopez (Spa), Takeda (Jpn) Noh (US), Im (Kor), Kim (Kor), -3 Iwai (Jpn), Hatoaka (Jpn), Tamburlini (Swi), Hwang (Kor), Kawamoto (Kor)

Selected others: E Dryburgh (Sco), Hull (Eng), Woad (Eng), Korda (US), + 1 Lee (Aus), + 2 Saso (Jpn), + 4 L Maguire (Ire)

After the US Women’s Open first round, British trio Charley Hull, Gemma Dryburgh, and Lottie Woad are four shots clear of the lead, along with world no. 1 Nelly Korda.

On a crowded leaderboard at Erin Hills in Wisconsin, they are all at level par.

After a day when 58 players shot par or better, American world number 11 Angel Yin and 2020 champion A Lim Kim are all in the joint lead at four under.

England’s Hull shot a 72 on the 12th and 16th holes to match Dryburgh’s efforts, who birdied the 13th and 14th holes to prevent early birdie pars. Hull was two over after 11 holes.

Lottie Woad, the Amateur champion in 2024, was three under after 10 holes, but she fell back after a double-bogey six on the par-fourth hole.

In her 72nd hole, Korda, a two-time major winner, made one bogey and one birdie.

The American remarked, “Overall, I can’t complain.”

The New York Knicks’ hopes of making it to the NBA Finals were kept alive by Jalen Brunson’s 32-point victory over the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks’ 111-94 victory at home reduced their best-of-seven series deficit to 3-2, but Indiana is still one win away from winning the Eastern Conference title.

The third-seeded Knicks led throughout as Karl-Anthony Towns battled a knee injury to record 24 points and 13 rebounds.

According to Towns, “I looked at the game and it was “game five, do or die.” That was essentially what I needed to see.

Towns continued, “We have no room for error.” Every game is “do or die,” and our backs are against the wall. Our season will be over if we don’t bring that enthusiasm or execution.

New York led 56-45 at half-time with 17 points and 10 rebounds before increasing their lead to 90-73 heading into the final quarter.

With just over eight minutes left, Indiana drew within 12 points, but Josh Hart answered with a pair of consecutive baskets and Mikal Bridges’ jumper, giving them an 18-point lead.

In game four, Indiana star Tyrese Haliburton recorded 30 points and 15 assists, but he was only allowed to add six assists on Thursday.

The 25-year-old point guard remarked, “Rough night for me.” I need to be more effective at setting the tone and descending. I don’t think I did that well.

It represents club football’s pinnacle.

On Saturday night in Munich, Paris St-Germain and Inter Milan will square off against one another for the Champions League title.

In an expanded tournament that has resulted in shocks, drama, and scores, 36 teams from all over Europe have been reduced to two after 188 matches.

Julien Laurens, a French football expert, says it’s difficult to call, especially if you’re a PSG fan. Inter have a lot of experience, which can help them win big games. Although my heart says PSG, my head is more centered and difficult to do so!

Italian football expert Mina Rzouki: I prefer PSG because Luis Enrique is a master at meistering these types of contests.

Ex-Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, a pundit for the Champions League match of the day, and Thomas Hitzlsperger, a pundit, says: “It’s a tough one because I admire Inter very much for making it to the final and they obviously deserve to be here.”

However, I’ve seen more of Paris St-Germain, and I’ve been so impressed by how they play.

I believe they will prevail, but anything is possible because I’ve been impressed by Inter, particularly when they lost to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, by how well they defend and how they can endure such long periods of suffering and find the right opportunities to attack.

Laurens: I’m going for Ousmane Dembele, though Raphinha is one of the contenders. His transformation this season has been incredible. He initially appeared to be leaving, but he has.

He is a great guy in the dressing room for everything he has done and how he changed the perception we all had of him. He used to play until 3 a.m., then go to bed, and then awaken late. was behind schedule for training, and it was unpopular. When you have the skills to succeed in a professional sport and have the qualities to succeed, it wasn’t that discipline.

He finally arrived there at age 27. He married and established a lot of discipline. And Luis Enrique has done a fantastic job of making him aware that leaders must lead and act in a certain manner both on and off the pitch.

In the 1073-000 minutes of Champions League play this season, Dembele has scored eight goals, five of them on his right foot and three of his left. He also has four assists.

Rzouki deserves praise, but I’ll give it to PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele deserve mention.

The Paris St-Germain goalkeeper has kept five clean sheets this season’s competition, with only Yann Sommer (seven) and David Raya (six) keeping more. He has also made some important saves during the French side’s run to the final.

Hitzlsperger: Normally, you would choose one of the finalist, but I think Raphinha because of his outstanding Barcelona performance.

I’ve been so impressed with Achraf Hakimi that it must be a PSG player.

I’m going to pick Raphinha because it’s difficult, but I’m going to do it because I’ve seen him perform exceptionally well overall.

One of two from that Barcelona team, according to Nicky Bandini, Champions League Match of the Day pundit. Everyone wants Yamal, but sometimes numbers come in, and Raphinha‘s numbers in this tournament are ridiculous.

Top assists provider and joint top scorer. And Raphinha once more scored in that absurd semi-final against Inter, when we were all enthralled by Yamal’s deeds.

Raphinha had a remarkable campaign, scoring 13 goals and adding nine assists in 14 games, despite his semi-final defeat to Inter Milan.

Laurens: Probably due to Lamine Yamal’s performance in the semi-final against Inter’s first half. We had the impression that something was magical watching.

Rzouki: Tough, but I’m going to score Francesco Acerbi’s goal in Inter Milan’s semifinal against Barcelona.

Hitzlsperger: As a fan of Aston Villa, do you mind if I mention Jhon Duran scoring against Bayern Munich? Thinking about that brings back some fond memories of Villa’s Champions League moments, which are special to all Villa fans.