Jesse Lingard Granted Leave to Return to England Amid Corinthians Struggles

Jesse Lingard’s remarkable football journey has brought him back to England once again – at least temporarily.

Corinthians confirmed that the former Manchester United midfielder has been granted permission to travel home to deal with family matters, stepping away from a season that has already seen him make a small piece of Brazilian football history.

From Wembley glory to a Brazilian first

Lingard walked away from Old Trafford in 2022 after more than 200 appearances for his boyhood club, his defining moment still that extra-time winner in the 2016 FA Cup final against Crystal Palace at Wembley. Nottingham Forest came next, then a bold move to South Korea with FC Seoul.

Two years in Asia later, the road led to São Paulo. Corinthians took a chance on a 33-year-old still hungry for big stages and big nights.

He has delivered something unique. Earlier this year, Lingard became the first Englishman ever to score for a Brazilian club. He then went one better, becoming the first English player to score in the Copa Libertadores, South America’s answer to the Champions League.

So far, the Carrington academy product has played 17 times for Corinthians, scoring two goals and supplying one assist. His most recent outing was a 45-minute appearance in a 3-1 Serie A win over Clube Atlético Mineiro.

Official leave, growing concern

On Thursday, the club’s official X account released an update that will concern fans already anxious about their league form.

“The attacker Jesse Lingard was authorized by the football board and by coach Fernando Diniz to travel to England, this Thursday (05/28), to attend to family matters,” the statement read.

It added that “the athlete will be released from the match against Grêmio, next Saturday (05/30), for the Brazilian Championship.”

No return date was specified. No extra detail. Just a clear message: Lingard will not be available for a crucial domestic fixture.

Corinthians split between struggle and promise

The timing is delicate.

In the league, Corinthians are stuck in 15th place, only two spots and three points above the relegation zone. Every match feels heavy, every absence magnified.

On the continent, the mood is very different. Corinthians sit top of Group E in the Copa Libertadores after six games, a campaign lit up in part by Lingard’s historic strike.

Seventeen games, two goals, one assist. Modest numbers on paper, but wrapped in symbolism for a club trying to reinvent itself and for a player determined to stretch his career far beyond the familiar comforts of English football.

For now, though, the adventure pauses. Corinthians must scrap for league points and chase Libertadores glory without their English trailblazer, while Lingard steps away to deal with matters far from the noise of Brazilian stadiums.

How long that separation lasts could shape both his story in Brazil and Corinthians’ season.